A coroner has demanded an “urgent” safety review of the blue paint used on cycle superhighways after a motorcyclist skidded into a bollard in the rain and suffered fatal injuries.
Dr Fiona Wilcox issued Transport for London with a prevention of deaths report months before she concludes an inquest into Milan Dokic’s death.
Dokic crashed in Battersea Park Road, at the junction with Forfar Road, on 1 March last year after losing control of the motorbike in wet conditions at about 1pm.
He had entered the CS8 lane – one of the first non-segregated superhighways introduced by Boris Johnson – to undertake a van.
In her report to TfL, Dr Wilcox wrote: “The CCTV clearly shows the motorcycle losing grip and sliding along the road. Sadly, Mr Dokic came off and hit a bollard, sustaining injuries that led to his death at the scene.”
She said she was due to hear evidence in another death “in slightly different circumstances” in Battersea “where low grip on the CSH (cycle superhighway) may have played a part”.
At a pre-inquest review at Westminster coroner’s court on 14 February, a collision investigator gave evidence that the painted road surface had a skid resistance of 56.3, compared with the conventional road surface score of 77. The superhighway near the pedestrian crossing was differently constituted and had a skid resistance of 89.8.
Dr Wilcox said some cyclists had talked about a lack of grip on parts of the superhighway, which runs between Westminster and Wandsworth.
She warned TfL that “there is a risk that future deaths will occur” unless it took action. Listing six areas of concern, she called for “an urgent review of all areas treated with such road surface and replace it with the higher grip surface”.
“These concerns are too urgent to wait until the full hearing of the evidence to be addressed.
The inquest is due to be held this summer.
