Tuesday 17 December 2013

Front page news!

Dear Friends,

On Friday, the front page of the Evening Standard read 'Major Changes To Cut Cyclist Deaths'. [1]

This headline came just days after we handed in our 36,000 strong petition.

Following intense public pressure, Boris Johnson and the Government have agreed to "new measures to save the lives of cyclists on London's roads", including an overhaul of safety rules, to be updated in favour of cyclists.

Although the plan we want to see still remains to be seen, right now this is news that we can be proud of; our campaign is effectively and meaningfully contributing to change for London's cyclists.
The petition hand-in last Tuesday was a great milestone. An impressive number of you came down to City Hall with your beautiful placards and jolly santa hats; thank you! We were joined by the London Cycling Campaign, Stop Killing Cyclists and full Cross-party support from the London Assembly - a great show of support from the various groups we are working with. You can see the pictures [2] and read the blog [3] by clicking the links below.

Careful not to make any firm commitments, Andrew Gilligan re-iterated that our demands are "entirely reasonable", and that he is keen to meet them. We can expect a formal reply in the new year, and we'll keep you updated on any developments.

For now, I would like to say a big thank you for your support for and work towards this campaign. In the last month, we have come such a long way! Across London, a movement building. You can't plan that. It's exciting. Collectively, we've kept London cycling in the media for weeks, we've taken all kinds of action, kept up the pressure, and we're starting to see some small concessions.

There is a lot more work to be done, but not without some much needed rest. I'll be taking a break over Christmas, looking back on the month we've had and planning ahead for the next steps of the campaign.

I'm wishing a warm Christmas to all those that are celebrating, and I look forward to working with you all in 2014.

Rhiannon

P.S.
For the last cycling protest of 2013, Stop Killing Cyclists are holding another demonstration on Thursday morning 7:30-8:30am at South-side of Vauxhall Bridge, opposite Vauxhall tube. For more information, visit the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1486869428205268/?fref=ts

NOTES:
[1] Evening Standard, New safety plan to save lives of London cyclists, http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/new-safety-plan-to-save-lives-of-london-cyclists-9002928.html
[2] Facebook, Save Our Cyclists petition hand in https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153595825300788.1073741830.200006375787&type=1
[3] 38 Degrees blog, 'Save Our Cyclists' Petition hand-in http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2013/12/13/cby-cycling-petition-hand-in/

No comments:

Post a Comment