A cyclist is taking legal action against a London council after breaking both his elbows and his jaw when he was thrown off his bike when he hit what was supposed to be a road safety measure.
Greg Simmons, 36, was moving around a bus in a cycle lane in Edmonton, North London in February last year when his wheel struck the thick plastic lane divider and was catapulted into the road.
Most of the dividers had poles, known as safety wands, but the one Greg hit did not, making it barely visible when travelling at speed as it was the same colour as the road and had no reflectors, his law firm said.
Mr Simmons, a screenwriter from Edmonton, is still unable to straighten one arm a year on and is taking legal action against Enfield Council through personal injury specialists Osbornes Law.
He said: “I looked to pull around a bus and the next minute I was flying through the air over my handlebars. It was just a split second but felt like it lasted for ages and I remember thinking ‘this isn’t going to be good’.
“I had hit a large piece of plastic on the side of the cycle lane which had no reason being there. The council said it ‘wasn’t defective’ as it wasn’t meant to have poles in it, so why have it there it her first place as it is extremely dangerous for cyclists.
“I am lucky that there wasn’t any traffic as I could have been killed. This could happen to somebody else who may not be as lucky.”
Mr Simmons went to A&E to be treated for injuries to his chin and knee when doctors discovered he had broken his elbows in the crash on Hertford Road, the A1010
He said: “I thought I had got away with it as I didn’t feel any pain until I got to the hospital and the doctor asked me to straighten my arms and I couldn’t. The doctor sent me for an X-ray, which revealed both breaks. A later X-ray showed a hairline fracture of the jaw.
“I still can’t straighten my left arm and probably won’t ever be able to. Doctors say I’ve suffered about 20% muscle loss to the arm and it is weaker than my right arm, despite me being left handed.”
He added: “It wasn’t the pain that was so bad, it was the stress of the whole thing. Me and my partner were moving home ten days after the crash. I’m a positive person but this really affected my life. I keep on thinking how awful it would have been for my partner if I had been riding back about to start a new chapter of our lives together and I hadn’t come back.
“The council say they aren’t responsible, despite installing the large piece of plastic in a cycle lane that appears to serve no purpose apart from be a hazard. The divider is so dangerous without a wand. It's the same colour as the road and has no reflectors, making it almost impossible to spot when travelling at speed, especially when coupled with other dividers that do have wands. The safety measures are really inconsistent. They need to change that to stop this happening to someone else.”
Megan Lambert, a specialist personal injury lawyer from Osbornes Law said: “My client suffered serious injuries through no fault of his own because of a safety measure that the council installed. He has suffered considerable harm and distress, which has been compounded by the council denying liability. I would urge them to reconsider their position and settle this matter as soon as possible”
A spokesperson for Enfield Council said the council was unable to comment at this time due to the case being an ongoing legal matter.
Osbornes Law previously represented cyclist Richard Lander who was thrown off his bike by a similar road safety measure in Croydon South London. He won his case against Croydon Council in 2025.
