Cyclist dies after Balham cycle lane crash

A cyclist has died following a serious collision in a Balham High Road cycle lane.

Police said the man, in his 40s, may have collided with another cyclist before he was taken to hospital where he died a short while later.

One passerby said he saw the cyclist lying on the Cycle Superhighway 7 after the collision at 8.17am on Wednesday.

Harry Bennet, who cycled past the aftermath, told the Standard: “It was pretty horrific, I just saw the bike on the side.”

He called for more safety measures, writing on Twitter: “Cycled past a pretty horrific accident on CS7 in Balham. The wands can only do so much and this stretch is one of the least protected bits.”

© TfL 1_balham1.jpg

It is believed to be the ninth cyclist fatality on the capital’s roads this year.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.17am this morning to reports of a road traffic collision involving a cyclist on Balham High Road.

“We sent an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, a clinical team manager, and two medics in cars. The first of our medics were at the scene in two minutes.

“A man was treated at the scene and taken to a major trauma centre as a priority.”

Labour MP for Tooting Rosena Allin-Khan said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the crash.

Deeply saddened to hear of an emergency incident involving a cyclist on Balham High Road.

The road is closed from Balham Station to Bedford Hill, so please do find an alternative route.

And take care.

— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan 💙 (@DrRosena) October 6, 2021

Balham High Road has been closed in both directions since around 8.30am.