Years of Training Required to Know How to Kill a Cyclist

by | Jul 7, 2025 | News

It does not matter if you tell the London City’s Transportation Department that unmarked, unlit, portable concrete barriers are a safety hazard. After they are removed from one location they pop up in another. Much like deadly dandelions? Is there something wrong with the arrangement shown above found on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) near Watson Park in London?

For years various municipal transportation departments have been obsessed with stopping the public from entering areas of road closure because of the danger. So they put up even more dangerous structures at the head of these road closures. The City of London is no exception.

For years the City of London has been erecting Portable Concrete Barriers (PCBs) across its roadways in an attempt to stop traffic from entering areas that are under construction. As an example the following photos of such an installation were taken on May 29, 2014 on the north end of Ridout Street on approach to the Blackfriars Bridge in downtown London.

Much like searching for Waldo in a complex drawing of cartoon characters, the presence of an unmarked PCB is difficult to detect in this 2014 northward view along Ridout Street approaching the Blackfriars Bridge in downtown London.
PCBs are often of the same shade of grey as the road surface on which they are erected. This lack of contrast makes them difficult to detect even in conditions of good lighting. But glare from sunshine, fog, or nighttime darkness make detection even more difficult.

PCBs are not benign structures, especially for unprotected road users such as cyclists. In a real-life collision reconstructed by Gorski Consulting a number of years ago, a cyclist approached such a barrier placed across the roadway in a semi-rural area near the northern municipality of New Liskeard Ontario. Two PCBs were placed perpendicular and side-by-side in such a manner that they spanned the complete width of the roadway. A cycle rider approaching them was unable to stop in time and attempted to steer around them but the rider’s left leg caught the end of one of the concrete barriers. The rider ended up in an adjacent field with his leg resting on his left ear while he attempted to assess what happened. Fortunately he had a cellphone with him and was conscious enough to call for help otherwise he might of bled to death after many hours of agony. Incidents like these are not common but they demonstrate the need to understand how a dangerous road closure can become even more dangerous when proper signage and structures are not put in place on the approach to a road closure. Those in the important position of protecting the public from danger must have the proper training, experience and common sense to understand how to lessen a danger rather than increase it.

The Ontario Traffic Manual is a set of manuals dealing with a variety of traffic subjects. One of these manuals is entitled “Book 7: Temporary Conditions”. This book deals with construction zones. With respect to Portable Concrete Barriers the manual states explicitly:

“Where temporary concrete barriers are used, the following guidelines and specifications apply:
Temporary concrete barriers must not be placed perpendicular to the direction of travel
and are not intended to be used across a highway for a highway closure.“

Even if a professional transportation practitioner was unfamiliar with Book 7, which would be highly unusual, common sense should indicate that an impact with an immovable object will cause more harm because the severity of an impact will be increased. So the potential for increased severity of injury will also be more probable.

As shown in this eastward view there is no artificial illumination on this portion of the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) so when the sun goes down this area would be in darkness. There are also no warning signs preceding the PCB.

It is notable that this PCB barrier is adjacent to Watson Park where the official news media have reported on the large encampment of homeless persons and how washroom facilities were temporarily removed by the City. Considerable outrage was expressed by many citizens for how inhumanely these homeless persons were being treated. Yet, as many homeless persons ride bikes, there was no understanding expressed that these persons could also be injured or killed by the PCB installation. Those passing through the area who may not know the details of the TVP might also be surprised by the presence of the PCB.

Not much concern is publicly expressed by this PCB installation because there is no public announcement of any cyclist collisions happening there. However it is well-known in official circles that cyclist collisions are not publicly revealed unless there is a fatality or someone sustains life-threatening injuries. And many uninformed cyclists would easily blame themselves for their collision with such a barrier without realizing that the installation itself is dangerous. This is how many transportation dangers become unreported and continue to exist without anyone being accountable for them.