Cyclist killed at Hackney junction by left turning HGV

Dear Friends,

North London. Dangerous junction. Cyclist. HGV turning left. Fatality.

It is a tragedy that this could almost be a repeat of a previous email. The death of a cyclist last week in North London has many parallels with the incident where a cyclist was killed by a left turning tipper lorry at Ludgate Circus in October, itself a repeat of a death at the same junction in April 2014 [1].

The awful and disturbing events are recorded in the Evening Standard here [2], the LCC have further details and analysis of the junction [3].

We need urgent action to stop these events continually repeating themselves. A demonstration and vigil will be taking place on Monday at 6:30pm, at the junction with Amhurst Park and Seven Sisters Road. We need as many people as possible to join the protest to highlight this issue and push for action.

Join Monday's demonstration to demand action to stop the deaths from left turning HGVs: https://www.facebook.com/events/545314158904738

We know segregated cycle lanes save lives and last year you told us they were the issue you most wanted us to campaign on. So please support Hackney people on bikes, who campaign for protected cycle tracks on the main roads in Hackney. Twitter: @HackneyPOB

This petition was set up to push for changes in the 12 months following November 2013, and although we've seen progress, this death reminds us there is so much more to do. We will continue the campaigning and the petition is still open for new signatures [4].

Together our campaigning can make a real difference and help bring about a safer future on London's roads.

Kind regards and hope to see you on Monday,


Fred


P.s.  If you don't want to receive occasional emails now the 12 months are over there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Rhiannon and I really appreciate all the support we've received by everyone who has signed the petition.
P.p.s. If you would like to be involved in running the campaign we'd love to hear from you.

---

[1] http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/cyclist-dies-after-crash-at-ludgate.html
[2] http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclist-killed-in-crash-in-north-london-9989385.html
[3] http://lcc.org.uk/articles/cyclist-dies-in-another-london-tipper-lorry-crash
[4] https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-cyclists

Useful Campaigning Links

Over the past year I've been compiling a list of useful websites for reference, reporting problems and campaigning.

Reporting:

• Write to your politicians, national, local or EU, for free using www.writetothem.com
• Potholes and road defects can be reported with 'Fill That Hole'. Use it on the website or with the mobile Apps so you can easily file a report on the go: www.fillthathole.org.uk
• Building sites can be reported to Considerate Contractors: enquiries@ccscheme.org.uk for instance to report obstruction of the pavement or road, mud/gravel left by vehicles leaving site or bad behaviour by workers. If you see something which appears dangerous, you should also copy in the HSE, because no one should die at work. 

Note: Always try to get photos if you want to report bad driving, blocked lanes etc.

Reference and Campaigns:

• The Cycling Embassy forum including a 'consultation watch' thread and posts discussing recent developments: www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/forums/general-discussion You can also read their responses to various consultations here.
• The Sustrans fortnightly Policy Scan is a round-up of key consultations nationally which you can sign-up to recieve by email: www.sustrans.org.uk/policy-evidence/our-policy-work/policy-scan.
• 'Space for Cycling' guidance for councillors and decision-makers: www.makingspaceforcycling.org
• CTC's Road Justice campaign: www.roadjustice.org.uk
• Campaigning & social media - a post I wrote last year which may be useful to people running cycle campaigning groups.
• The parliamentary advisory council for transport safety produces fact-sheets for each constituency in the country detailing progress on road safety - a useful tool when lobbying MPs on national road safety issues.

London links: 

• Bad driving can be reported to the police here: www.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/
• Report bad roadworks here: reportit.tfl.gov.uk/ (automatically assigns the report to the relevant borough if it's not a TfL road)
• Mayor of London mayor@london.gov.uk
• Taxi drivers can be reported to taxi.complaints@pco.org.uk
• The Met police's page for tranport policing, including stolen bikes and cycle safety and security: content.met.police.uk/Site/safertransport
• Cycling fatality statistics for London cycling: cycling-intelligence.com/fatal-cycling-accidents-in-london/
• London Cycling Campaign for campaigns, news, forum and information.

Please let me know if there you have more useful links!

Consultations - 'Quietways' and more!

Did you know there are now three 'Quietway' junction proposals out to consultation? TfL are consulting on junctions on Stamford Street (part of Quietway 2), City Road and Great Dover Street.

In particular City Road is worth commenting on - although the lane widening on Colebrooke Row is needed, the proposals for two stage right turns at look confusing and possibly inadequate with clear potential for conflict with pedestrians. Cyclists are directed to a small area with no separation from the road, their backs to the traffic and pointing in the wrong direction. As there are already ways to make two stage right turns in these locations, I can't see people will want to use the proposals currently drawn.

What these proposals say about the Quietway programme:

• TfL thinks building a Quietway mostly means making bigger ASLs.
• All the proposals maintain the current traffic arrangements at the junctions and many of the improvements are improved versions of the existing infrastructure or purely cosmetic.  
• The proposals do not attempt to significantly improve the conditions for cycling at these junctions.

Haven't we been here before?

New signs, maps and pictures of bikes painted in the road, but missing out on meaningful improvements or cycle infrastructure. TfL appear to be repeating the same mistakes they made with the original Cycle Superhighways. The success of a route will depends on the quality of the provision.

The idea of Quietways was to make use of back routes with little motor traffic to provide a safe, inviting and cost-effective network of routes (an idea I support). However the designers seem to have interpreted this to mean it's OK to produce ineffective/cosmetic interventions with negligible benefits to cyclists and designs which either are either lazy or lacking in ambition.

TfL need to learn that real improvements are needed to create routes for inclusive cycling: More signage isn't going to convince people to take up cycling when they feel the the roads aren't safe!

The Quietways should be more ambitious about providing high quality provision through the junctions and where possible eliminating all through traffic from routes. The Colebrooke Row scheme should have sorted out a route which is currently disjointed, instead Owen Street is untouched and only half the route is resolved to a decent standard. Any two stage right turns need adequately sized and marked waiting areas in the right locations in order to make these viable.

This is what Stamford Street would look like with a shot of ambition:

@miroirdufou @nuttyxander @AlternativeDfT @VoleOSpeed Now I know how wide Stamford Street is I'd do this pic.twitter.com/QHVQSamcEj
— maidstoneonbike (@maidstoneonbike) December 15, 2014

Dangerous (safer!) junction consultations still open!

Have you checked out Old Street roundabout, Vauxhall Cross and Stockwell Cross? All still open for your comments - please support them!

The good news is that TfL are now getting a lot of the big decisions right, after a lot of work from campaigners like the LCC (and their Space4Cycling guidance). However there are some areas for criticism:

• Some of the details give the impression the designers think a bike is new kind of car - 20m slip lanes suggest a frustrated motorway designer did Old Street roundabout.
• In other areas the design is incoherent - as if the cyclists can evaporate when the designers run out of ideas. I hope the lane on the east of Old Street is a drawing error and they don't plan to have it slim down to a pinch point and then widen a few metres later seeming fed from the pavement... it would literally make no sense if they wanted to do this on purpose.
• Finally the proposals for Stockwell Road are disappointing in that they include potential for cyclists to get left hooked, despite making improvements elsewhere. While there are some measures to mitigate this (early start), they should follow through and completely remove this possibility.

While progress sometimes often feels slow, after decades ignoring cycling the UK is overcoming a lack of knowledge and standards. Hopefully consultation responses help push things forwards? Comment below if you want.