Cyclist dies after falling into Bristol docks outside M shed

“I had no idea this was a point scoring exercise for someone wanting to further their point of view.

My view remains the same, the points I've made in the past are still valid and by the looks of it, some people need to engage their brains before writing comments i.e. get the facts first instead of knee jerk reactions.

Condolences to the family of this man.”

“Railings all around the docks and tarmac over the railway/train tracks. Sorted. Is Bristol a cycling city or not?”

“@ogeron - "Cardiac arrest is often brought on by sudden immersion in cold water"

True. However other websites are saying the cardiac arrest occurred before falling into the docks.

http://tinyurl.com/d2lxmhs - "A cyclist who fell into the water at Bristol docks after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest"”

“Cardiac arrest is often brought on by sudden immersion in cold water.”

“Obviously it is sad that someone has died and whilst railings might have saved him or at least stopped him falling into the docks if the cardiac arrest he suffered occurred before he entered the water there is another point here. Since November 2012 there have been signs on this section of dockside warning cyclists not to use it but to use the alternative route behind M shed (it adds about 30 metres to any journey).

The reason for this is that the area is criss-crossed by the tracks for the docks railway and cranes. These can lead to cyclists taking a spill if the wheels of their bike get caught in them or when wet they become extremely slippery leading to skids. I walked along this part of the docks twice a day for over a year and still pass it on a twice daily basis. Until the signs were put in I would witness at least two accidents a week (one woman was saved from a fate similar to the one suffered by the man in today's accident by the fact her slide was arrested by her colliding with the base of one of the cranes before she ended up in the water). On winter evenings when it is dark and raining the area becomes even more hazardous to cyclists. During 2012 I was one of a number of people who apparently contacted the council to point out the hazard and it was because of concerned citizens raising the issue that in part led to the signs.

Since the signs were put in it has reduced to a couple of skids or falls a month as a number of cyclists have heeded the warnings. However, there are those that either choose to ignore the warnings or not notice them and continue to use this part of the docks as a shortcut.

As for railings on this section of the docks, part of the problem lies in the proximity of the cranes to the dock edge, they are only a few feet away and railings would have to be situated far enough back to continue to allow use of moorings by boats. This in turn would impede movement of the cranes which require moving once in a while for maintenance purposes. Although this could perhaps be solved with some form of removable railings.”

“As the poor man seemed to have died from cardiac arrest, I would have thought defibrillators would be more useful than railings?”

“@Ogeron

I agree, well said and a good memory.”

“This is one of the few sections of the docks that doesn't have railings. The recent proposal from the Docks Services Manager that railings should be provided here was decried as excessive nannying by over zealous health and safety officials by Councillor Eddy. (The Post, Friday 22 June 2012) Now that this tragedy has happened I hope that the Post will be seeking a comment from the Councillor.”