Lorry driver is held after cyclist dies in Edinburgh rush-hour collision

A CYCLIST who died after colliding with a parked car during the morning rush-hour in Edinburgh is thought to have been struck by an overtaking lorry.

The 43-year-old hit the blue Mazda on Lanark Road, one of the main thoroughfares leading into the city, around 8am yesterday.

The driver of the lorry, which did not stop at the scene of the accident, was later traced by police. A spokesman for the Lothian and Borders force said a man had been detained and was being questioned by officers.

The incident was not being described as a hit-and-run by the police, who said they were still looking for witnesses.

The man was cycling down a hill on the north side of Lanark Road, when the accident happened, close to its junction with Dovecot Grove, in the Colinton area, near Kingsknowe railway station.

The cyclist, who had not been named by the police last night, was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, but later died of his injuries.

The accident caused major traffic disruption yesterday, as the road is the main one linking a number of suburbs on the west of the city with Slateford.

All traffic was diverted off the road between Inglis Green Road and the Gillespie Crossroads, while forensics officers examined the scene. The victim’s bicycle could be seen lying next to the Mazda until around 12:30pm, when both vehicles were taken away, and the road was reopened.

One local resident said: “There is a huge amount of traffic on this road in the morning and it always goes too fast. You need an accident like this to realise the speed limit needs to be brought down from 40mph to 30mph. It was horrific.”

However Grace Hughes, secretary of Longstone Community Council, which covers the area, said: “I heard about the accident this morning and was quite surprised to hear it was a fatality as it is a pretty wide road and accidents are very unusual there. It’s a busy road as it is the main one into the city through the area, but you don’t see accidents like this very often.”

Local councillor Ricky Henderson said: “It’s a really busy road which is used by so many people to come into the city from areas like Colinton, Balerno and Juniper Green, as well as people coming off the City Bypass.

“It’s obviously been a very tragic outcome and my thoughts are with the family of the victim. It’s very important that the full circumstances are established and I would urge anyone who has seen it happen to come forward.”

A police spokesman said: “At this time inquiries are at an early stage, however it is known that the cyclist collided with a parked car.

“Further inquiries are under way in regard to the involvement of other vehicles, and a man has been detained for questioning by police in regard to the incident.

“We would urge anyone who was in the area of Lanark Road this morning, who saw what happened, to contact police as a matter of urgency.

“In particular, we want to speak to anyone who noticed an articulated lorry with a white cab and a red flat-bed trailer being driven in the area at the time.”

Anyone with information on the accident is urged to ring Lothian and Borders Police on 0131-311 3131.