Rather than attempt to re-write some of the excellent existing resources provided by Cycling UK, I will link to the most useful bits.
Are there are pre-emptive measures I can take?
Cycling UK membership includes free legal advice on cycle-related matters, including following a road traffic collision. Membership also includes third party insurance in the event of claims for accidental damage made against you or your cycle.
What to do if you’ve been involved in road collision
You can find detailed and practical advice on what to do in the event of a cycle road collision courtesy of the Cycling UK’s Road Justice campaign here.
Contact the Incident Line even if you are not a Cycling UK member as legal advice may still be available, though on different terms to those available to Cycling UK members.
What to do if you’ve crashed on tram lines
You can report tram crashes via tramcrash.co.uk. CycleSheffield are collecting this information to help us understand how common these types of crashes are and where they happen.
Why it is SO IMPORTANT to report your collision to the police
The police have a duty to accept reports of all road collisions which result in an injury (even if minor). This includes single vehicle incidents. Even if the case is not pursued, the police must record details of the collision by filling in something called a STATS 19 form. The data collected via STATS 19 is lumped together, anonymised and published annually. It is used by local authorities to identify the roads where the most collisions take place, and which should qualify for safety improvements.
If you do not report your collision then this data does not reflect a true picture of cycle collisions on our roads.
May I suggest that cyclists read the relevant part of the Highway Code regarding Tramways and act on the advice given.
Tram lines are easy to spot so the most common sense thing to do would be to avoid them.
Hi A.Twynham,
Do you mean rule 306? “All road users, but particularly cyclists and motorcyclists, should take extra care when driving or riding close to or crossing the tracks, especially if the rails are wet. You should take particular care when crossing the rails at shallow angles, on bends and at junctions. It is safest to cross the tracks directly at right angles. Other road users should be aware that cyclists and motorcyclists may need more space to cross the tracks safely.”
We’ve found that even when people are being very careful and follow all of the advice, that crashes still happen.
We published a post on our views of cycling around tram lines here: http://www.cyclesheffield.org.uk/2015/11/08/tram-crash-cyclist-tram-accidents-in-sheffield/
In particular “cycle crashes on the tram tracks … appear to happen to anyone regardless of cycling ability and experience and do not appear to be caused by cyclist behaviour” and “People should not be expected to cycle on roads with this hazard. Alternatives must be provided if more people are to have the freedom to choose to cycle in Sheffield.”
Cheers,
Matt
You cannot always avoid. I live in middle wood and to get anywhere I have to ride with tram tracks
Yes there should certainly be more cycle only routes to avoid the need to used tramways.
I’m 55 years old, been cycling in Sheffield ALL my life (so far!) and so i consider myself as having some experience. The ONLY times i’ve fallen off my bike are when I’ve been crossing the tram tracks. I don’t fall off regularly (only 3 times in about10 years) but it’s often enough to make me wary. Luckily I’ve not had any serious injury, only minor ones and minor damage to the bikes, but I do try and avoid the tram tracks where possible even though it increases my journey times and sometimes means i cycle on roads which are too narrow and too busy. I’ve been cycling for ages and know how to deal with traffic, but a novice cyclist might not.
Can we receive injury claim, if we get injured while cycling?