A man who was thrown from his bicycle when the front wheel became stuck in a pothole in Buckinghamshire has won £4000 in compensation.
James Tarrant launched legal action against Buckinghamshire Council after his accident in 2008. Mr Tarrant received treatment to his arm and had to have a tooth extracted as a result of the crash.
The council admitted liability as it had breached its duty of care and agreed a compensation sum of £4,191 with Mr Tarrant’s injury solicitors.
The Buckinghamshire County Council website states it is pro-cycling despite the condition of the roads.
The website reads: “More people than ever are cycling in Buckinghamshire, with our partner, Cycling England, we share a vision of more people cycling, more safely, more often.”
Mr Tarrant, 62, said he hoped his story would serve as a warning to both councils and cyclists over the dangerousness of potholes.
Mr Tarrant said: “The council encourage more people to cycle for the good of the environment but when the roads are in such a bad condition it can be very unsafe.
“It’s quite ironic they state they want more people cycling safely when accidents like mine happen.
“I had lights on my bike but the street wasn’t very well illuminated so I didn’t see the pothole until the last minute, by which time it was too late.
“This one was particularly deep and should not have been left uncovered or unmarked.
“The recent cold weather is likely to have opened up more cracks and potholes and I hope my story acts as a reminder to other cyclists of the treacherous conditions on the roads.”
Mr Tarrant’s solicitor said: “We see more and more cases of injury caused by potholes, whether it’s cyclists, pedestrians and even cars.
“Mr Tarrant was trying to keep active and do his bit for the environment by cycling to work but ended up suffering injury.
“The recent snow and ice is likely to have caused a large increase in potholes, making cycling difficult on some roads.
“We hope lessons will be learnt by the council to try and protect vulnerable road users such as cyclists by highlighting potholes or filling them in as quickly as possible to prevent further accidents like this one.”
