Colchester cyclist was left with broken foot after roundabout crash

Emre Kockar, 20, was driving a Volkswagen Golf when he collided with the cyclist on Friday, October 6 at the Albert Roundabout.

Though Kockar stopped briefly, he then made off whilst the cyclist – a man in his 30s – was left with cuts, bruises, and a broken foot.

His specialist bike which was worth £11,000 was also irreparably damaged.

Injury – Emre Kockar caused the cyclist a broken foot during the collision at Albert Roundabout (Image: Google Street View)

Essex Police launched an investigation after the incident was captured on CCTV, and Kockar was stopped the following day.

The case was subsequently brought before Colchester Magistrates’ Court last month and Kockar, of Pond Farm Estate, Hackney was disqualified from driving for a year.

Kockar, who had been driving without insurance at the time of the collision, was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and pay £700 in costs.

A spokesman for Colchester Cycling Campaign singled out Albert Roundabout as a dangerous area for cyclists and called on Essex County Council to improve safety at the junction.

He said: “We are pleased that this dangerous driver has been brought to justice by Essex Police and banned from driving.

“The Albert Roundabout is a collision black spot where cyclists are regularly at risk of injury from careless and dangerous drivers.

“Essex County Council was given £4 million by the government for active travel investment in Colchester including improvements to the design of this roundabout.

“Unfortunately the council has delivered very little with this funding, with much of the money being squandered on design work and no delivery.

Sentenced – Emre Kockar was banned from the roads for a year (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

“We call on Essex County Council to redouble their efforts to deliver concrete changes to make cycling in Colchester safer and more convenient.”

'High priority for cycle improvements'

A spokesman for Essex County Council said they have identified Albert Roundabout as "a high priority for cycle improvements".

He said: "We are sorry to hear about this incident and hope the cyclist made a full recovery from their injuries.

“We absolutely recognise the safety concerns relating to the Albert Roundabout and it has been identified as a high priority for cycle improvements.

“We continue to look at funding opportunities which will allow us to progress improvements to make this important junction in the city safer for all users.

"We hope to be able to commission work on this soon.”