Cyclist told his daughter ‘I want to live’ days before he died from his injuries in crash

A woman has urged for speed cameras to be installed on a ‘dangerous’ east London road after her father was hit by a car while out cycling.

Barry Shonibare, 71, from Forest Gate, was hit by a car while out cycling in Wanstead Flats on Monday, June 16, the day after he celebrated Father’s Day with his family.

Barry’s daughter, Shanie Ensley, 48, said her father was struck by a vehicle on the A114 Centre Road at the end of a painted cycle lane.

Shanie told Metro he suffered ‘horrific’ injuries in the crash, but he was conscious when she went to visit him in hospital.

Even in his critical condition, Barry was concerned about the stray kittens he was looking after in his garden, and asked Shanie to check on them.

When Shanie tried to ‘lift the mood’ by jokingly asking his dad what he’s been up to, she said he insisted he was ‘in the safe zone’ on the road.

Shanie said her dad said ‘I want to live’ before she kissed him goodbye and he was wheeled off to his ward.

‘The last thing I said to him was, “I’ll see you in a few days, don’t worry, we’ve got everything covered. I love you,”‘, she said.

Five days later, the family were told to get to the hospital after Barry suffered a cardiac arrest.

Shanie said when they were ushered into the family room by doctors on June 21, she knew he had died after seeing tissues were placed on the table.

‘It’s a terrible, sad and tragic loss for us, and I’m finding it difficult how I’m going to cope,’ she added.

‘It is the first time he will miss my 16-year-old daughter’s birthday.’

She described her dad as ‘an extraordinary man,’ adding that he had a ‘profound character, warmth and humour that could shift from clever wit to wildly inappropriate in seconds.’

‘You would always learned something with him, and he was very charming and handsome,’ she said. ‘He was a sci-fi fan and very family-oriented. He was in the territorial army, he was strong, he was a gardener and nature-lover, a youth worker, a teacher, a security guard, a cyclist, and a proud cat dad.

‘He was well-known in his local area and all of his neighbours absolutely loved him – especially his upstairs neighbour, this little old lady,who he used to look after.’

Barry’s family are calling for speed cameras to be installged and action from the Mayor of London, TfL and local councils to stop any further deaths.

Newham Cyclists campaign group said the road at the border of Newham and Redbridge is known to be dangerous due to a mixture of high speeds from motorists and a lack of protection for cyclists.

Addy Enley Otti, Barry’s niece, told Metro: ‘We need fully segregated cycle lanes.

‘There are better safety measures that can be done to prevent this in the future, because this shouldn’t happen again, and I just don’t want my uncle’s death to be in vain.’

London’s Metropolitan Police said there have been no arrests.

A spokesman told Metro: ‘The driver – a 26-year-old man – who failed to stop at the scene but returned on foot, has been helping police with their enquiries.’

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