Monday 13 October 2008

Motorcycle Rider Billy James killed on Coronation Road

There is a new blog documenting parking and traffic issues in Southville: http://southvilleparking.blogspot.com/

It's already a better source of local road news than the BBC or Evening Post, which is why it is so sad to read its coverage of a fatal motorbike/lorry collision at the junction of Coronation Road and Dean Lane. The comments by people that knew him say that rider's name was Billy James, He will be sadly missed by all of his friends in Highbury and Kings Crescent estate and by all whom had the pleasure of knowing him.

Sometimes on this site we are bit unhappy about motorbikes using our parking facilities and bike lanes, but the harsh truth is that bikes and motorbikes are equally vulnerable to collisions with motor vehicles, to cars pulling out while you go along a road with the right of way, to anyone else out there making a mistake. And lorries -which Coronation Road suffers from- pretty much guarantee that when something goes wrong, it's the two wheeled vehicle user is in deep trouble. It was just along from here, at the roundabout, that I had a lorry drive over the back of my bike, and it was terrifying: the lorry edging out looking right for a gap, me, in front of the lorry, having my bike first pushed into the junction and then, after jumping off the bike, having it go under the lorry wheel. Lorries are dangerous. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad drivers, only that the whole vehicle's design isn't appropriate for city streets. And when something goes wrong, its the pedestrian, the cyclist, the motorcyclist and even the car driver who comes out worst.

Today, we have a new name to remember, a Bristolian who came out worst against a lorry: Billy Joy. Billy, we didn't know you, but we will think of you whenever we pass this junction.
-SteveL and family.

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