Cycling stalwart calls for better road safety education after Al Qudra accident

Dubai Cycling Community founder knocked unconscious in collision near bike track

Andy Fordham has urged cyclists to stick to designated tracks and avoid using public roads, even if they are experienced. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A cyclist hit by a car and knocked unconscious near Al Qudra bike track has said improved road safety education is needed as the sport rides a wave of growing popularity across the country.

Andy Fordham, founder of Dubai Cycling Community, has been heavily involved with the sport for more than a decade, organising a host of road races, as well as triathlon and Ironman events.

He urged cyclists to stick to designated tracks and avoid using public roads, even for a short journey.

On a recent Sunday morning ride to Al Qudra cycle track — a route he has taken hundreds of times — Mr Fordham was hit by a vehicle as he entered the roundabout and broke his leg in the fall.

Shocked by the incident, the collision was a painful reminder of the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads, he said.

“On that particular Sunday, I rolled the dice and thought I had done everything to get home in one piece,” Mr Fordham said.

“I felt I was a competent, aware cyclist who used animated hand signals — but I am still reliant on other road users to be responsible, patient and considerate to ensure there is no collision with me.

“I should not have assumed a car would not enter the roundabout even though it was full.

“The way people drive on the shoulder, talk on their phones or fail to indicate is dangerous. People think they are king of the road.”

Mr Fordham has clocked up thousands of miles cycling on the roads and tracks of Dubai, but his vast experience did not protect him from serious injury.

The collision left him with a fractured left tibia that required surgery to insert a titanium plate, and head injuries after he was knocked unconscious.

Cyclists are restricted to using designated bike tracks in Dubai and prohibited from using roads with a speed limit in excess of 60kph.

Like other cyclists from Town Square, a community near the bike track, Mr Fordham joined the short section of Al Qudra Road that leads from his area on to the cycle path, only a few hundred metres away.

“Shared-use tracks like at Jumeirah Beach where there are cyclists, scooters and pedestrians are realistically not suitable for training for cyclists and there is an issue with connectivity from the communities to cycle paths,” said Mr Fordham, 58.

“My accident was avoidable but essentially it doesn’t matter if I live 50 metres from the cycle track, there will be no more riding on the roads for me.

“My message to cyclists is if you have the attitude that this will never happen to you, it eventually will.”

In 2021, 22 people lost their lives on bikes in Dubai, with another 253 people injured, police statistics show.

Despite the increase in the popularity of cycling across the emirates, the number of road deaths has fallen by two thirds in a decade.

Research from the College of Medical and Health Sciences at UAE University in Al Ain showed tighter traffic regulations, awareness campaigns and better vehicle safety had helped cut road deaths from 10 per 100,000 people in 2010 to 3.5 in 2019.

Dubai’s safe cycling network has increased steadily in recent years.

The Roads and Transport Authority aims to have cycling tacks completed across 29 city districts by 2026, extending the network from 463km to 759km as part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

In Abu Dhabi, a new 109km cycle track has connected multiple facilities and attractions, with further plans to build more than 1000km of cycleways in the future as part of a ‘bike city’.

Research from the Emirates Centre for Mobility Research found 64 per cent of riders used their bikes for mobility purposes such as commuting to work, food delivery or to perform prayers in the mosque.

“These are the vulnerable road users and city planners in UAE are aware of the importance of protecting them, either through road infrastructure investments, rules and regulations or awareness campaigns,” said Dr Hamad Al Jassmi, associate professor and centre director.

“One of the major issues that cyclist suffer from is the dis-connectivity of their rides, where they have to step into a shared road facility with motorised vehicles in a way or another to complete their journey.

“Our research shows that bicycle crashes happen more frequently in attempts to cross the road through intersections, roundabouts, zebra crossings or jaywalking, as opposed to the frequency of crashes in the case of riding in the middle of the road.”