A TROWBRIDGE cyclist is getting back in the saddle to promote road safety, two weeks after she was knocked off her bike by a car and needed hospital treatment.

Louise Allan, 43, of Ashton Street, was cycling down the West Ashton Road, on the way out of Trowbridge, when she was involved in the crash on the new roundabout there.

In April a 48-year-old man died in hospital following an early morning cycling accident on the Hilperton Road in Trowbridge, near the town’s fire station, and in May Melksham man Malcolm McDiarmid was killed after a cycling accident in Bulkington.

Mrs Allan said the car driver said he simply did not see her as he pulled out from Leap Gate on June 29. The mother-of-two walked away with bad bruising and severe road rash.

Now she is joining members of the Trowbridge Cycling Club, Westbury Wheelers and Wiltshire Police, who have organised a group ride tomorrow to help raise driver awareness of the need to ensure cyclists’ safety on Wiltshire roads.

“I consider myself lucky to have walked away. I think it is a sad situation when this topic is only talked about after a tragedy,” Mrs Allan said.

“It shouldn’t be that way but it sort of is. People take notice when someone is knocked off their bike, unfortunately.

“I went across the roundabout, saw the car stop, but obviously he didn’t see me and then he clipped me from behind and I was knocked off.

“I was very shaken. ‘I didn’t see you’, however heartfelt or remorseful, is simply unacceptable. When we are at the controls of a ton or more of metal, it is our duty to be aware of what is around and in front of our vehicles. Especially when the consequences can be life-changing, or worse.

“Thankfully I was dropped home by a kind driver and I just needed to go to Trowbridge Hospital as my road rash became infected and needed to be re-dressed.

“Two days later, another cyclist was knocked off on one of the Hilperton Road roundabouts, sustaining fractures. Drivers need to be more observant. This ride is a great idea and I am looking forward to being part of it all.”

Saturday’s ride, which will cover an 18-20 mile route, will leave Trowbridge Park at 1pm. Riders who will include Chief Constable Keir Pritchard, himself a keen cyclist, should meet in the park before then.

The police are taking part as part of Operation Close Pass, an initiative to educate motorists about the importance of giving cyclists more space on the roads.