Cycling deaths in the City are unacceptable!
One thousand Londoners joined the London Cycling Campaign's protest at Bow in East London last night to send a message to Mayor Boris Johnson: that cycling deaths in the city are unacceptable, and that dangerous junctions like Bow Roundabout must be redesigned with safe space for cycling.
The protest followed a terrible none days for London's cyclists in which five cyclists were killed on the City's roads. Three of these deaths occurred on the Mayor's 'Cycle Superhighway 2' (CS2) between Aldgate and Bow.
Protestors started to assemble at the Bow roundabout from 6pm, where a cyclist had been killed on the same day by a left-turning truck. Many passers-by on bicycles and on foot joined the protest and gathered at the candlelit memorial.
Under direction from London Cycling Campaign staff and volunteers, and officers from the Metropolitan Police, the one thousand riders rode around Bow roundabout, temporarily blocking the junction. BBC London News, ITV London Tonight, BBC Radio London and LBC made the event their top news story of the evening.
LCC Chief Executive Ashok Sinha said: "We urge Mayor Boris Johnson to respond to the anger and frustration clearly felt by Londoners at the recent tragedies by agreeing to prioritise pedestrian and cycling safety above motor traffic flow, both at Bow and at some many other streets and junctions where our lives are threatened each day."
The LCC is now calling on the Mayor to upgrade all its 'Cycle Superhighways' to continental standards, beginning with CS2. As an immediate measure they say that cycling and pedestrian-specific traffic lights must be installed across the Bow Roundabout, and protected space created for cyclists at Aldgate Junction.
Ashok Sinha said, "We warned the Mayor about the potentially lethal flaws on Superhighway 2 over a year ago. The Mayor must now signal that he wants to eliminate such avoidable fatalities by transforming CS2 - including the junctions at Bow and Aldgate - into an example of the highest standards in cycle safety.
"We extend our deepest sympathy to the recently bereaved, and to everyone who has lost family or friends in collisions on London's streets."
Petition: Tell the Mayor to stop cycling deaths now!
See also Aerial Boris Bike-abouts for London?
