Protect cyclists, say family of ex GP killed in crash on Archway road

 
Josh Pettitt8 August 2013

The family of a retired GP who died after his bike collided with a lorry today called for more to be done to protect cyclists in London.

Dr Clive Richards, 67, had a suspected cardiac arrest at the scene of the crash in Archway, north London, on Monday.

He is the sixth cyclist to be killed in London this year, and the fourth in collision with an HGV.

A family member, who did not wish to be named, said: “He was a doctor and spent his whole life saving people’s lives. London is not built for cyclists. They try to get more people to cycle with the Boris bikes, but the infra- structure just isn’t there for them.

“You’re going to keep getting tragic deaths like this until that changes.”

Dr Richards had retired for the second time in his career from the Rise Group Practice in Hornsey, north London, just two months ago. He was a keen cyclist, regularly riding his bike to work and raising money with charity bike rides, including one trip to India.

Dr Susan Salkind, a partner at the practice, said: “He was a fantastic colleague and was fun to be around. He was really kind and caring with his patients and will be terribly missed by everyone who knew him.

“He always came into work in his cycle gear. He was serious about it and had his helmet on, that’s the tragedy of it. He was a very skilled cyclist and very fit for his age. This is just a complete tragedy.”

Dr Richards, from Whetstone, north London, had worked at the Lister Medical Centre in Harlow, Essex, for 33 years before joining the Hornsey practice in 2006.

Dr Kate Tully, who took over from Dr Richards at the Lister centre, said: “He was an absolutely fantastic, extremely well-loved GP.

“When he retired the practice came to a standstill because all the appointments were booked up by patients who wanted to say goodbye. We had to open the church hall opposite us on a Saturday so everyone could say bon voyage.

“Taking over from him was a really tall order because he was so well-respected and popular.”

Last month emergency doctors who work on the air ambulance service called for urgent road safety measures after three cyclists were killed in three weeks in London.

The air ambulance, which flies a surgeon and paramedic straight to crash scenes, has been called to more than 30 critical incidents involving cyclists this year.

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