Injured cyclist sues London council after breaking both elbows and jaw when hitting bike lane barrier - and says he 'could have been killed'

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:01, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 10:29, 2 July 2026 An injured cyclist is suing a London council after breaking both his elbows and jaw when he hit a bike lane barrier - saying he 'could have been killed' in the collision. Greg Simmons, 36, was riding around a bus in a cycle lane in Edmonton, north London, in February last year when he hit a plastic lane divider and was catapulted from his bike. Most dividers are meant to have poles on them which alert cyclists to the road safety measure but the one Mr Simmons hit on Hertford Road did not, his lawyers said. Mr Simmons, a screenwriter from Edmonton, is still unable to straighten his left arm a year after the crash and is now taking legal action against Enfield Council through Osborne Law.  Recalling the moment he was thrown from his bike, he said: 'I looked to pull around a bus and the next minute I was flying through the air over my handlebars.  'It was just a split second but felt like it lasted for ages and I remember thinking "this isn't going to be good". 'I had hit a large piece of plastic on the side of the cycle lane which had no reason being there. 'The council said it "wasn't defective" as it wasn't meant to have poles in it, so why have it there it there in the first place as it is extremely dangerous for cyclists? Mr Simmons, pictured on a walk, was thrown from his bike after he hit a cycle lane divider in February last year The 36-year-old screenwriter from Edmonton in north London hit a cycle lane divider that did not have poles, his lawyers said Mr Simmons, pictured on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, broke both his elbows and jaw in the crash 'I am lucky that there wasn't any traffic as I could have been killed.' Mr Simmons said that an accident of this nature 'could happen to someone else who may not be as lucky'. He added: 'The divider is so dangerous without a wand. It’s the same colour as the road and has no reflectors, making it almost impossible to spot when travelling at speed, especially when coupled with other dividers that do have wands.' 'The safety measures are really inconsistent. They need to change that to stop this happening to someone else.' Megan Lambert, a specialist personal injury lawyer from Osborne Law, said: 'My client suffered serious injuries through no fault of his own because of a safety measure that the council installed. 'He has suffered considerable harm and distress, which has been compounded by the council denying liability. 'I would urge them to reconsider their position and settle this matter as soon as possible.' An Enfield Council spokesman said: 'As the cyclist is taking legal action against Enfield Council, we are unable to comment at this time.'  Richard Lander sued Croydon Council after shattering his wrist following an accident involving a road 'safety measure' Pictured: Doctors installed metal plates in Mr Lander's wrist, but the father still says he is in pain and doesn't know when or if he'll be able to cycle again A 63-year-old father-of-two also crashed his bike after hitting a similar black road 'safety measure'. Richard Lander was cycling down a busy road in Croydon, south London, when he came out of the cycle lane to overtake a bus which had pulled into a stop at around 4:45pm on November 3 2023. Mr Lander said he did not see the divider's black base on Brighton Road and was launched over the handlebars, hitting the ground so hard he broke his wrist. After doctors put a metal plate in his arm, the IT project manager said he was still in constant pain and did not know whether he would be able to cycle again.  He has since complained to Croydon Council about the road safety measures and has instructed lawyers to take legal action in a bid to highlight the issue and get the council to make changes. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.