A ten-month old puppy died after being in collision with an e-bike, which the dog’s owner says was speeding through Dulwich Park.
On Wednesday, October 19, Ana Paula Garey was walking through Dulwich Park with her twelve-year-old son and their puppy, Toco. “We were walking in the park and the bike came really fast,” Ana explained. “The dog was running off the lead and I just heard him squeal and ran over. The man on the bike said he didn’t see Toco so didn’t try to dodge him.”
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Ana said she immediately picked the dog up and went straight to the vet. “I didn’t have time to take any photos of where it happened or call the police.
“When I got to the vet they couldn’t do anything because Toco had already died of a punctured lung.”
“I want people to be more conscious that a bike is still a vehicle.”
Ana says they’re all very sad and her son doesn’t want to go to the park anymore. “He’s only just moved to a different country from Brazil, where it was too dangerous for him to play out on his own. Now he doesn’t want to go to the park because of what happened to Toco.”
She said the man was riding a green rental e-bike, and claims he was definitely over the 5mph speed limit the park has for vehicles passing through. She said they were not interested in pressing charges, but wanted people to be more aware of the dangers of cycling. “A bike is still a vehicle. I want people to be more conscious of this. There are a lot of people who don’t respect the rules.”
Trevor Moore, member of the Dulwich Park Friends committee – who help to maintain the park said: “This is terrible news. It’s as a result of lots of people on two wheels going too fast in a shared space. In a park, it has to be the people riding bikes and scooters that are aware of kids and dogs and vulnerable people around them.”
“A park is not a public highway,” he added.
“We will be putting our heads together on how we can liaise with the council to improve the education of people and awareness.
http://southwarknews.co.uk/news/crime/attemped-e-bike-robbery-in-southwark-park-has-police-appealing-for-witnesses/
Cllr Catherine Rose, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks, Streets & Clean Air, said: “We are very sorry that Ms Garey and her son lost their dog in such upsetting circumstances.
“We have reported the matter to the police and offered the family our support. We know that the majority of cyclists are safe and responsible, but we ask that people take special care on shared pedestrian and cyclist spaces, such as cycle routes through our parks.”
http://southwarknews.co.uk/news/emergency-services/walworth-flat-fire-probably-caused-by-faulty-e-scooter/