Cyclists urge city to ‘root out’ problem following accidents

TWO cyclists from the Tri-X Multisport Club were seriously injured on Ridge Road recently after hitting an uneven surface on the road in two separate incidents. The cyclists were both injured in early morning rides on two different occasions.

Don Kruger and Joel Mason said the problem stems from a section on the road where tree roots have caused the concrete to rise unevenly on the surface. What has exacerbated the problem is the poor lighting on that section of road.

Kruger, who was planning on riding this year’s Amashova race had has his hopes dashed after breaking his collar bone after hitting the bump.

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“We’ve emailed and asked the City to act on the problem and possibly level the section of road as cyclists often use that route. What was horrible this time was the streetlight above this section wasn’t working so I didn’t even see the hump until I hit it.

“I remember clutching my left hand side in pain and I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t get my phone out of my pocket to call for help. Thankfully I eventually got help. This has been deeply frustrating for us as we’ve contacted the City to fix the problem,” Kruger said.

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Mason, who like Kruger was aware of the problem did not see the hump due to the street light not working.

“It was an early morning ride so the sun hadn’t quite come up and the light around the section was bad so I couldn’t avoid it until I hit the bump. I ride with my dad and he normally calls out to avoid the bubble on the road but he didn’t on this occasion. I dislocated my shoulder in the accident and chipped my tooth. I would urge cyclists using this road to be extra careful around this particular spot,” he said.

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