A son of a pensioner who was killed after she collided with a speeding cyclist in London has called for a change to the law. Brian Fitzgerald smashed into Hilda Griffiths whilst speeding in 20mph zone in Regents Park.
More than 30 pedestrians have been killed by cyclists over the past decade. Some almost 1,400 other pedestrians have suffered 'serious' injuriesRoyal Parks has called for Regent's Park to be axed from cycling apps after a reckless rider crashed into a pensioner who later died.
She was struck by banker Mr Fitzgerald who was part of a high-speed peloton racing through the park as part of an organised trials event. Mr Fitzgerald, a director at Credit Suisse, was completing timed laps using a Garmin device, which uses GPS to track his movement, speed and records his lap times. Royal Parks has now launched an urgent review in a bid to keep pedestrians safe and cut back on reckless riding.
The Metropolitan Police failed to seek advice from the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether to charge a merchant banker who struck and killed an 81-year-old woman on his bicycle while riding through Regent's Park.Fitzgerald, pictured, is a vice president at Credit Suisse having previously worked for Allied Irish Bank and Ulster Bank
According to the Muswell Hill Peloton Group's Facebook page, which has 468 members, core activities include anti-clockwise CHAINGANG or PACELINE laps of Regents Park. There is also no legislation allowing for cyclists who break regular speed limits to be prosecuted, or anything that identifies their over-speeding as a criminal act.
Importantly, with 37 fellow Conservative backbenchers supporting his proposal, this is a greater number than the Prime Minister's current majority. Mr Duncan Smith said: 'I want to bring cyclists in line with other road users. I saw Matt Briggs this week has been campaigning for a change in the law following the tragic death of his wife, Kim. I thought"sod this, I can help".
He said his fellow Parliamentarians need to clamp down on 'aggressive cyclists who jump red lights and shout at you' while treating the road as a race track. Kim Briggs, pictured, died after she was struck by a bicycle ridden by cyclist Charlie Alliston. Alliston's bike was not fitted with a front brake. Following her death in 2017 ministers vowed to introduce new legislation to make prosecuting rogue cyclists far easier
MailOnline has learned that the Metropolitan Police 'considered' prosecuting Fitzgerald for 'wanton and furious driving' - an antiquated piece of legislation - but failed to seek the Crown Prosecution Service's advice. Mr Briggs said: 'After seven years of campaigning alongside other families who have lost loved ones, I'm delighted and very grateful to Sir Iain Duncan Smith for his support.
'It arises from legislation that is almost 200 years old and is often a last resort used by the CPS as a route to prosecute offenders who, for some reason, would not fit the criteria of the more commonly used road traffic offences pursuant to more modern legislation.
Inner West London Coroners Court heard that no specific speed limits exist for cyclists and no legislation to prosecute them should they not comply with regular signs for motorists. Under the Road Traffic Act, only 'mechanically propelled' vehicles with speedometers are required to follow speed limit signs
A DfT spokesperson said: 'Every death on our roads is a tragedy and dangerous cycling puts lives at risk and is completely unacceptable.
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