Family of dead cyclist place "ghost bike" on A23 (From The Argus)
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Family of dead cyclist place "ghost bike" on A23
9:00am Monday 8th June 2009 in News By Samuel Underwood
The ghost bike placed at the side of the A23
The family of a French cyclist who died as she rode along the A23 have expressed their anger that their daughter “died for nothing”.
Marie Vesco was involved in an accident as she and a group of friends made their way to a Smash EDO protest in Brighton last June.
But a year after her death, Marie's boyfriend Seb Achaibou, her father Jacques and her mother Dominique have seen their campaign for better signage to improve the safety of cyclists come to nothing.
In a statement they said: “One year has passed and Marie has died for nothing, like an animal squashed on the road, with not a single sanction for any of the responsible parties.
“Today we are very angry as we realise that in this affair, our daughter is the only victim.
“We are seeking justice for Marie – what about her human rights?
“We ask ourselves who will be next. We are angry that nobody cares and nothing has been done to protect us.”
They wanted clearer signage put up along the road to inform cyclists of cycle paths that were available for them to use.
Now, one year later, Marie’s family and friends have placed a white “ghost bike” to mark the spot where Marie was killed.
Speaking to The Argus, they criticised the authorities for not reacting more swiftly to prevent other accidents in the future.
Her parents said: “We are abandoned to grieve the loss of our beautiful child in the life-long knowledge that her death was treated as of no more value than a cat.”
At the inquest into her death, held in February, West Sussex Coroner Penelope Schofield called for an urgent assessment of the signage along the road through a Rule 43 recommendation.
That gives the coroner the power to make a report where they believe action needs to be taken to prevent future deaths.
But despite the coroner highlighting the issue of signage in February, nothing has changed.
Marie was just a week away from her 20th birthday when she died.
Speaking shortly after her death, her family paid tribute to her as “a brilliant pupil”.
They said: “Her intellectual ability did not prevent her from dreaming and hoping for a better world.
“She was an idealist who wanted to change the world, by raising awareness about and fighting against injustices such as conflicts, poverty and wasting resources.”
A Highways Agency spokesman said its plans to improve the cycle path network across Sussex had started two years ago and were ongoing.
He said: “The Highways Agency takes safety of all road users very seriously and since 2007 we have been working with our stakeholders on plans to improve cycle routes across Sussex, including national cycle route 20.
“We have co-operated fully with the police during their investigation and the ensuing coroners inquest following this tragic incident.”
Comments(21)
Cupra150
says...
11:12am Mon 8 Jun 09
jo w
says...
12:10pm Mon 8 Jun 09
PB
says...
12:12pm Mon 8 Jun 09
pyrococcal
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12:35pm Mon 8 Jun 09
PB wrote:Dyke Road is the same - the Council & Sustrans boast about the £5 million quid they get for Brighton being a "Cycling Demonstration Town" but as usual all it amounts to is painting a few stupid lines either on the pavement (and letting pedestrians waddle over them) or on the road (and letting motorists park in them)
The last time I saw a cyclist wobbling dangerously along and getting in the way of the fast moving A23 traffic in the city, the cycle lane had white vans parked along most of its length.
However the most ludicrous "cycle lane" in brighton is at the southern start of "National Route 20", on East Street, were a 3 foot wide strip of pavement with a GPO junction box on it is designated a "national cycle route" - it's barely wide enough to fit a pedestrian on, never mind share it with bikes.
Security word: BIKE-FAIL
Cherry Pie
says...
12:45pm Mon 8 Jun 09
magic_chimp
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12:56pm Mon 8 Jun 09
Common-sense should tell people that cycling on a main road like the A23 is suicide at best and a lot of cyclists don't seem to have any common sense when it comes to where not to cycle. Case in point - driving home on the M23 yesterday morning to see a cyclist pedalling down the hard shoulder of the motorway in driving rain towards Gatwick!! Don't people read, or more importantly take note of the Highway Code anymore?!
Brigadier Monty
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3:24pm Mon 8 Jun 09
pyrococcal
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3:31pm Mon 8 Jun 09
Or is he talking nonsense, and the cyclists were actually at fault?
bibble
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6:25pm Mon 8 Jun 09
Cupra150 wrote:Don't say that. The police will remove the bike for "safety reasons".
This is on the slip road for Burgess Hill heading southbound on the A23. Quite eerie but also distracting the first time you see it.
Hugh Rinall
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8:45pm Mon 8 Jun 09
Dave At Home
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9:17pm Mon 8 Jun 09
Like an animal squashed on the road, that's a funny thing to say about your daughter, girlfriend!! Where was she going to? not too many houses around there, she must have come from very far away.
mr punch
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9:38pm Mon 8 Jun 09
John Steed
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7:29am Tue 9 Jun 09
other cyclists should watch out for missing drain covers
one thing puzzles me though, what were a couple of kermits doing protesting over here, I thought the entant cordiale was that we get stuck somewhere, normally a channel port or motorway by them protesting about something irrelevant to us and in return they do not get involved with our soap dodgers
sussex2
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7:54am Tue 9 Jun 09
As for the xenophobic comments, you should be ashamed of yourselves, and imagine perhaps, having to seek to right a wrong in another country yourselves..
An utter disgrace the lot of you.
alfieconnection
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8:10am Tue 9 Jun 09
twosugars
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11:13am Tue 9 Jun 09
sussex2 wrote:a vulnerable road user was killed. yes mate. Thats why the council put in a proper cycle route alongside and a safe distance from the main carriageway. if she chose not to use it (and cycle lane signs really not that hard to translate) then nationality is no excuse for putting other lives at risk.
I am disgusted by the comments placed on here. Why is it that the brits always seem to attack those with the least defence. The facts of this collision are unknown, but, a vulnerable road user has been killed. The manner in which pedestrians and cyclists are treated (at long last recognised after EU pressure by the government) is a disgrace. As for the xenophobic comments, you should be ashamed of yourselves, and imagine perhaps, having to seek to right a wrong in another country yourselves.. An utter disgrace the lot of you.
sussex2
says...
4:35pm Tue 9 Jun 09
11:13am Tue 9 Jun 09
sussex2 wrote:
I am disgusted by the comments placed on here. Why is it that the brits always seem to attack those with the least defence. The facts of this collision are unknown, but, a vulnerable road user has been killed. The manner in which pedestrians and cyclists are treated (at long last recognised after EU pressure by the government) is a disgrace. As for the xenophobic comments, you should be ashamed of yourselves, and imagine perhaps, having to seek to right a wrong in another country yourselves.. An utter disgrace the lot of you.
a vulnerable road user was killed. yes mate. Thats why the council put in a proper cycle route alongside and a safe distance from the main carriageway. if she chose not to use it (and cycle lane signs really not that hard to translate) then nationality is no excuse for putting other lives at risk.
sussex2 wrote: I am disgusted by the comments placed on here. Why is it that the brits always seem to attack those with the least defence. The facts of this collision are unknown, but, a vulnerable road user has been killed. The manner in which pedestrians and cyclists are treated (at long last recognised after EU pressure by the government) is a disgrace. As for the xenophobic comments, you should be ashamed of yourselves, and imagine perhaps, having to seek to right a wrong in another country yourselves.. An utter disgrace the lot of you.a vulnerable road user was killed. yes mate. Thats why the council put in a proper cycle route alongside and a safe distance from the main carriageway. if she chose not to use it (and cycle lane signs really not that hard to translate) then nationality is no excuse for putting other lives at risk.
There is not much danger to a vehicle driver in a collision with a cyclist..
The prevailing attitude is what prompted my post eg 'someone walked in front of my car'..or a 'cyclist wobbled'..
Nothwithstanding that imagine the devastation of the parents, having as they are, to deal with authorities in another language.
It is the tone of the messages that annoyed me, most seeming to place the entire responsibility on the cyclist.
I live in two countries and it is the other, rather than the UK where I feel more safe being a pedestrian or cyclist eg. In parts of Spain it is obligatory to give way to cyclists at junctions, no matter WHICH direction they are travelling from. For all I know this may apply in France. What I do know is that by and large drivers of vehicles in those countries give cyclists a much wider clearance than in the UK (two metres is recommended).
I have the greatest sympathy for the distressed parents, how awful they must feel.
sussex2
says...
4:39pm Tue 9 Jun 09
Dave At Home
says...
7:37pm Tue 9 Jun 09
twosugars wrote:Shame she and the party she was with could not read the road, with a proper cycle lane clearly marked, it appears she had to make yet another protest cycling on a main road where the speed limit is 70 MPH. I feel for the poor motorist that hit her as the cyclist was totally in the wrong and should not have been on the A23, but then as they don't pay anything towards the upkeep of the road little would have been done to her if she had survived the accident.
sussex2 wrote:a vulnerable road user was killed. yes mate. Thats why the council put in a proper cycle route alongside and a safe distance from the main carriageway. if she chose not to use it (and cycle lane signs really not that hard to translate) then nationality is no excuse for putting other lives at risk.
I am disgusted by the comments placed on here. Why is it that the brits always seem to attack those with the least defence. The facts of this collision are unknown, but, a vulnerable road user has been killed. The manner in which pedestrians and cyclists are treated (at long last recognised after EU pressure by the government) is a disgrace. As for the xenophobic comments, you should be ashamed of yourselves, and imagine perhaps, having to seek to right a wrong in another country yourselves.. An utter disgrace the lot of you.
Anyway, the ghost bike has been removed now, so no further accidents with drivers being distracted by more street sign.
GerryP
says...
7:27am Wed 10 Jun 09
pyrococcal says...
9:27am Mon 8 Jun 09
"They wanted clearer signage put up along the road to inform cyclists of cycle paths that were available for them to use." - there *is* fairly clear signage re: the National Route 20 cycle lane along most of the A23, so I'm not quite sure what the problem was. As we're all well aware, a large proportion of cyclists ignore roadsigns and designated cycle lanes and ride along wherever they feel like it.
However if a coroner agreed signage was lacking, perhaps there is something in it...
anyone who's ever reported problems with signage to the Council or Sustrans will know that they usually do b*gger all about it though (and that includes when people die - another death trap is on Saddlescomb Road, which Sustrans blithely advertise as "Regional Route 82")
Security word: DEAD-BIKE