'His face was bleeding' - Cyclist knocked off bike by van driver on busy Leith road

The scene shortly after the accident. Pic; Dominic Hinde

The collision happened at the junction of Leith Walk and Balfour Street shortly before 10:15am.

Eyewitness Dominic Hinde was standing at his window this morning holding a cup of tea when he saw it all unfold.

Speaking to the Evening News, he said: "It happened right in front of me. The cyclist was coming down the cycle lane and the van turned straight into the road (Balfour Street) and the guy was pushed on his side and banged his head.

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"The law says that turning through a cycle way is like turning through traffic.

"After he went down he tried to get up and could not, and someone put a blanket under his head and kept him lying down, His face was bleeding and he was holding a tissue on his face.

"I had to leave for work but the guy was on the ground and an ambulance arrived."

On one of those occasions a vehicle pulled out and struck a cyclist and, in another instance further up the road, a car was parked in the cycle lane and a cyclist pulled out and was knocked down by another vehicle and left with a bleeding leg.

The collision this morning involved a cyclist using a Just Eat bike and he was not wearing a helmet.

Dominic, a freelance journalist who also lectures at Queen Margaret University, said the council should have a dedicated cycle path all the way down Leith Walk instead of just some of the way. He says this creates a problem when cyclists try to merge in with traffic.

He added: "We have got to better educate drivers but we need to provide safe off-road cycle lanes and if the City Council is going to have bike docking stations then they need to do that."

Scottish Ambulance Service has been contact for a comment.