A charity boss has spoken out as he says visually impaired Scots are increasingly coming under threat from dangerous cyclists in the city centre.
Fraser Fleming, the co-founder of visually impaired charity TripleTapTech, has hit back after he and fellow charity founder Graham Gunning were threatened with violence at the Bath Street and Blythswood Street crossing on Wednesday, November 27. The 40-year-old charity boss, who is registered blind, was left furious after the biker sped through a red light – nearly smashing into with the pair.
Despite the light turning green, Fraser claimed that the cyclist jumped off their bike shouting and screaming before threatening them. He told Glasgow Live: “The cyclist almost took the two dogs out.
“The light was green and me and Graham were crossing the road when he came round. We were obviously unhappy that he had nearly hit the dogs but he started shouting at us that he had the right of way.
“He could see we were both with our guide dogs and are visually impaired but he was happy to jump off of the bike and shout and scream at us. He verbally abused us both and threatened violence.
“I have limited sight and this happened very quickly but I believe it was one of the motorised food delivery bikes.”
Fraser claimed the problem of dangerous cycling is having a direct impact on the charity’s clients with many feeling they have been forced to cancel training or appointments as they feel unsafe travelling to the Renfield Centre HQ. He says near misses are becoming a weekly occurrence for the city community as bikes ignore red lights and cycle on pavements.
He says that the impact can be huge with guide dogs left spooked and unable to take their handlers out for up to a week. The charity boss added: “We are hearing of incidents several times a week and it is only getting worse.
“You can be standing at the crossing and think it is safe to cross and all of a sudden one of the electric bikes or cyclist will go through when the green man is showing and they will nearly take out the dog.
“That can be a really bad situation because it can cause the dog and owner great stress. It can cause the dog to take a fright and not be able to work for a few days or even longer.
“We’ve had clients who have been walking up to our office and had someone jump the lights, go the wrong way down a one way street or ride on the pavement and it’s given them such a fright that they have had to go home and not complete the training.
“It can also cause the dog to try and avoid having to use that crossing again – so they might take the visually impaired person a different route or equally might not pay attention to the cars if they try to go that way again because they are now looking for a bike coming from somewhere they don’t expect.”
Fraser is now keen to launch a campaign to clamp down on illegal cycling in the city centre and has discussed the opportunity with visually impaired and disability charities whose members are increasingly being put at risk of serious injuries.
He wants to see police and Glasgow City Council take action to protect thpolicee public – including removing modified electric bikes which can drive at speeds equivalent to motorbikes.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.