A CYCLIST has infuriated a female pedestrian after he crashed into her on the Story Bridge - and didnt even stop to check on her.

Jess McGlinchey and a friend were returning home to New Farm about 6.30pm last Tuesday when the pair stopped and bent over to pick up something they’d dropped.

“He hit me out of nowhere, I didn’t even have time to react. I looked up and got hit,” she said.

The cyclist crashed into Ms McGlinchey’s shoulder and chest and she said he appeared to drop his shoulder into the collision.

“That’s the only reason I reckon he didn’t fall off his bike. If I had’ve hit him unintentionally and he wasn’t ready for it, he would’ve come off for sure. He hit me so hard,” she said.

“By the time we said ‘oh my God, what happened?’ he was already flying back down the other side.”

Ms McGlinchey said the cyclist would have seen the two women stopped and looking at the ground, but even that wasn’t enough to slow him down.

“It knocked the breath out of me. My friend freaked out because I just had to stand there and I couldn’t lift my arm,” she said.

She had a red mark and an ache that lasted for two days.

News_Image_File: Jess McGlinchey is even more wary of cyclists on the Story Bridge after her run-in with one last week. Pic by Sarah Keayes

She also stressed she had an appreciation for cyclists - partly because her dad is one.

“I know it is a small minority that are doing the wrong thing, but I just couldn’t believe that he didn’t stop. He’d obviously hit somebody.”

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Ms McGlinchey said she reported the incident to police but couldn’t provide them with much of a description.

“He was just wearing black or dark Lycra clothing. He had the full get-up and it looked like a proper bike. It happened so fast, then as soon as we turned around, he was gone,” she said.

The incident has already affected the way Ms Glinchey feels when she’s out exercising.

“Now I’m scared when they come past and I hug the left hand side. I even made my friend walk on that side for the rest of the trip. I was already hesitant with bikes because they do fly on that bridge,” she said.

“There are some people who are very angry at cyclists out there. Luckily I’m not one of them, but this has definitely put a dampener on it for me.”

What do you think? Do cyclists ride too fast across the Story Bridge? Share your thoughts below.

Officer-in-charge at Dutton Park police Senior Sergeant Greg Bishop said the behaviour of the majority of cyclists is excellent.

“It’s a minority of riders who think the bike track or the shared space is part of the Commuter Cup,” he said.

“I’m a bike rider myself and I’m just gobsmacked at the speed that some of these fools ride at. I think it’s that type of behaviour that gets a good chunk of the community off-side with cyclists on the road.”

Sen-Sgt Bishop said he had witnessed the behaviour himself a couple of weeks ago.

“I was walking over the Story Bridge and I would’ve been passed by two bikes doing at least 40km/h. On a bike in a space that’s 2.5m wide, that is ridiculous.”

News_Image_File: Jess McGlinchey can’t believe the cyclist who hit her didn’t stop. Pic by Sarah Keayes

Brisbane-based contributor to bike group Cycle Dave Guyatt was disgusted by the actions of the rider who hit Ms McGlinchey.

“It gives us a bad name,” he said.

“I would’ve stopped, got off and helped. He may have thought this is going to be lawfully unjust to me if I stop, so he just kept going.”

But Mr Guyatt said that kind of cyclist is in the minority.

“There is a Strava segment going across that bridge and people use Strava for training - which is what it is, it’s a training utility. Possibly he was trying to hit a personal best going across there and in doing so has lost regard for personal and pedestrian safety.”

Councillor for The Gabba Ward Helen Abrahams said she had complaints about speeding cyclists on shared pathways about once every six months.

“It’s usually after there has been an incident where a pedestrian has either had a very severe scare or may have been hit by a cyclist,” she said.

“While I am a commuter cyclist, I do believe we need to say to cyclists it is not appropriate on a shared path to treat it as if it is a velodrome where you are wishing to cycle as fast as possible.”

Cr Abrahams urged all cyclists to peer pressure speeding bike riders to slow down.

“The few that ride too fast really give everybody a bad name.”

Originally published as Callous cyclist smashes into female pedestrian