A MOTHER has spoken of the moment her son was “sent flying” after being struck by a cyclist riding on the pavement… despite being a metre away from a Covid cycle lane.

Finley Stiles, four, was left with cuts and bruises on his face after he was struck on the Old Shoreham Road pavement this afternoon, his mother said.

Sarah Bridge, 29, who lives on the nearby Knoll Estate, said the cyclist rode off towards Sainsbury's after hitting her son at about 12.20pm.

She said: “We were walking down Bellingham Crescent and my son walked a little bit ahead.

Finley, 4, was left with cuts and bruises to his face

Finley, 4, was left with cuts and bruises to his face

“As he got to the railings on the Old Shoreham Road pavement, the bloke hit him and took him off his feet – he went about a metre and a half.

“My son landed on his hands and knees. The man fell off his bike, shook himself down and rode off.”

Temporary cycle lanes were installed on the road last May in a bid to provide a safer space for cyclists to ride.

A friend of the cyclist stayed behind to apologise to the family, the mother said.

She said: “Another man who saw it happen pointed out to the cyclist’s friend that there were cycle lanes right behind them on the road and that they shouldn’t be on the pavement."

Despite the cuts and bruises, Finley was not seriously injured and has taken the incident in good spirit.

His mother said: “It hit him on the face to the side.

“He seems to be OK, he is four years old, so he had a bit of a whinge at the time because of the shock.

“He’s really into his superheroes, so he thinks he is a superhero now who can fly.”

Ms Bridge said she will be reporting the incident to the police.

“This could have happened to an elderly lady, who could have been left there with a broken hip,” she said.

A much-anticipated survey asking for views on “significant changes” to the city’s streets, including cycle lanes, is now live.

Brighton and Hove City Council is asking for residents to express views on current “temporary” changes as well as future changes.

The survey opened on January 29 and will close on March 14.

The council says the feedback will be used to inform revised designs, which will be assessed by the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee.