Lime Bike Crushed by Lorry on Wandsworth Bridge Road
Cyclist jumps free ahead of collision near planter
The planter near Bon Bon was damaged a week before this latest incident. Picture: Donald G
December 12, 2025
A serious incident on Wandsworth Bridge Road last Friday (5 December) has reignited debate over the safety of the parklets and planters installed by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
According to eyewitness accounts shared on social media, a young woman narrowly escaped injury after being pinned between a lorry and a parklet outside the restaurant Joe’s Brasseriewhile riding a Lime bike. She managed to leap clear before the bike was crushed. The lorry driver reportedly continued without realising what had happened. Shocked diners inside a nearby restaurant described the scene as “horrifying,” with some branding the parklets “criminal.”
Esmerelda Grishaj, owner of the hair and beauty salon Halo who saw the incident, said: “It was really scary. I don’t know how she managed to jump off the bike and it was only the bike that got damaged.”
The incident has raised further concerns about the safety of the planters and parklets. Ms Grishaj said she initially thought the lorry had hit the planter before seeing the woman. She said the bike was “crushed in half” and that she is not sure how the woman was able to leap out of the way.
“She obviously was trying to get through, [the lorry driver] was trying to get through. There’s just not enough space,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). “If she was closer to the kerb she just would have got off the kerb.”
The LDRS spoke to another staff member in a local shop who said, while they did not see the alleged collision, they did notice the crushed bike still there the following day.
An employee working in Eat Well Naturally, a food store over the road, said the woman came into the shop after the incident where she remained for about 20 minutes. “She was stressed,” he said. “She was shivering.”
The parklet outside Joe's Brasserie where the incident happened
There have been a number of collisions involving the planters and vehicles since they were put in place but there is no record of any person being injured.
Council officers visited the scene this Monday (8 December) to make an assessment and produce a report.
The planter in front of Bon Bon was struck a week before this latest incident and one planter opposite a junction has been struck so often that residents have documented its gradual reduction from three units to one.
The council has previously defended the scheme, insisting the parklets are safe and noting that “sacrificial” planters are placed in front of seating areas to absorb collisions. Officials say the measures are designed to calm traffic, encourage walking, and support local businesses by creating a more pedestrian-friendly high street.
However, critics argue the redesign has narrowed lanes, created blind spots, and left cyclists particularly vulnerable. Campaigners have launched a petition calling for the removal of the “wavy road concept” and restoration of a straighter layout with more space for bikes which has gathered over 4,000 signatures.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is currently consulting on changes to Wandsworth Bridge Road. Residents and businesses can respond to the consultation online via the council’s website, where feedback is being gathered on the future of the scheme.
A Hammersmith & Fulham Council spokesperson said,"The safety of people lies at the heart of the programme to improve Wandsworth Bridge Road.
"We are proposing to introduce a series of raised pedestrian crossings to improve safety for pedestrians, notably for people with reduced mobility, wheelchair users and parents of young children with pushchairs, and make our high street more accessible and increase footfall. We believe requiring drivers, notably of HGVs, to slow down and drive more carefully to enable residents to cross the road safely is reasonable.
"These are long-standing proposals – developed by working with residents – to transform Wandsworth Bridge Road from a highway into a high street for local people and businesses."
Having carried out a safety assessment after the incidents, the coundil plans to repair the damaged parklet and long-term decisions about replacing the hospitality seating 'parklets' will be taken in conjunction with local businesses who will be asked to put forward their own proposals as part of the wider redesign of the high street.
Lime Bike has been approached for comment.
Written with contributions from Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |