Cyclist may sue tram firm after rails cause injury after fall

A STUDENT nurse has told how she was saved by her cycle helmet after her bike clipped the Princes Street tram lines and threw her into the middle of traffic.

Joanna Arendt, 36, was returning home when her wheel jammed in the rails and she was thrown off. She was left with injuries to her arms and legs and only escaped more serious injury after her helmet took the brunt of the impact.

Doctors cannot even say yet if the Polish woman's arm is broken as the swelling is so bad.

Now, along with boyfriend Sabar Hussain, a psychiatric nurse, she is considering action against tram firm TIE for failing to alert cyclists to the dangers of tram lines.

Cycling groups in the Capital have already urged authorities to put up warning signs after a series of accidents, although tram bosses insist a series of awareness-raising exercises have already been carried out.

Ms Arendt, who now faces a delay in passing the nursing course she is weeks away from completing, was taken to the Royal Infirmary after the fall on Sunday afternoon, which brought buses and taxis to a halt where the lines begin at the West End.

She is now recovering from her injuries at home in Leith.

"I have cycled in Edinburgh for six years and nothing's happened," she said. "I've always been careful, but there was nothing I could do. There was a taxi beside me, I moved out of its way and fell. People came to help but, because of the shock, I couldn't feel anything and said I was fine.

"Then, after a few minutes, I noticed the dent in my helmet, my clothes ripped and covered in blood, and the pain in my arms and legs.

"My doctor told me had I not been wearing the helmet it would have been so much worse, so I'm thankful for that.

"I think either signs have to be put up to tell other cyclists, or just for them not to have cycling on Princes Street at all."

Last year, TIE held special cycling classes and issued a series of guidelines for cyclists on Princes Street following a spate of less serious crashes.

Mr Hussain, 39, added: "We are very angry about this. It's clearly dangerous for cyclists, especially if it has been raining."

Ian Maxwell, a spokesman for Spokes, a city cycling lobby group, said: "We're not against tram lines and cyclists co-existing, but it's crucial signs are put up. Anyone who has an accident before they are will have a stronger case for compensation. Not having signs is negligent."

A TIE spokesman said: "Signage was erected for three months following the reopening of Princes Street in order to raise awareness of the tram tracks for cyclists. In addition to this, Edinburgh Trams teamed up with the Bike Station to conduct a training session which illustrated the safest way to negotiate the tracks.

"We continue to work closely with organisations such as Spokes and the Bike Station to ensure that our cycling information remains both relevant and widely available."

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