A1 death prompts
cycle safety calls

There have been calls for
Police closed part of the A1 in Co Down following the death of a cyclist. 
Photo Aidan O'Reilly/Pacemaker PressPolice closed part of the A1 in Co Down following the death of a cyclist. 
Photo Aidan O'Reilly/Pacemaker Press
Police closed part of the A1 in Co Down following the death of a cyclist. Photo Aidan O'Reilly/Pacemaker Press

cycling safety improvements

following the death on Wednesday of a man in his mid-30s who was involved in a collision with an articulated lorry on the A1 carriageway.

With heavy overnight rains contributing to early-morning traffic chaos along a lengthy stretch of the A1, the cyclistwas seriously injured in the collision, shortly before 7am, on the northbound lane near the Hillsborough and Donaghcloney turn-off.

The NI Ambulance Service’s John McPoland said paramedics attended the victim within 15 minutes of the collision and within 25 minutes he was in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, where he later died.

The A1 was closed in both directions on Wednesday morning while police and accident investigators examined the scene.

A “deeply saddened” Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Andrew Ewing, said of the man’s death, the 70th on Northern Ireland’s roads this year: “This is tragic news, particularly for the man’s family . . . this has been a truly awful year for deaths on our roads here in Northern Ireland.”

That was a situation, he said, which urgently needed tackling.

Lagan Valley MLA and NI21 party leader Basil McCrea said the tragedy was “a poignant example of why the Department of Regional Development must invest in better cycling infrastructure”.

He added: “Cycling is becoming increasingly popular and in the last decade there has been a worrying increase in the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured in Northern Ireland . . . Cyclists must make sure they are wearing the correct protective gear to improve their visibility, and motorists must pay more attention to all road-users to help prevent these tragic accidents.”

Local Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn likewise said it was incumbent on all road-users to exercise extreme care and be vigilant for others.

Police had on Wednesday issued a warning for road users to exercise particular caution due to hazardous conditions caused by heavy overnight rain.

Lisburn Area Commander, Chief Inspector John Wilson, reported additional problems with flooding (between Dromore and Banbridge) and an oil spill (at Dromore) on the A1 that morning.

He added: “Police investigating this serious RTC are also appealing for witnesses and would ask for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact them on 101.”