Women's Equality and Cycling

Sophie Walker is the mayoral candidate for the Women's Equality Party. She is a diversity campaigner, cycling proponent and the third candidate to commit to the London Cycling Campaign's ambitious Sign for Cycling pledges (triple the number of protected cycle lanes in London, a mini-Holland scheme in every borough & an end to lorry danger).

Her vision is to make London the first city in the world where men and women are equal, including for transport. She believes safe cycling infrastructure is the key to allowing more women to enjoy the benefits of cycling:

We want to make transport accessible & safe for everyone. More segregated cycle lanes & bike facilities #AskSophie https://t.co/7pj6POGURO

— SophieWalker (@SophieRunning) April 5, 2016

Cycling in the UK is not equally accessible to all genders and the proportion of women who cycle is half that of men. Sophie Walker is committed to working towards a 50:50 modal share of female cycling in London.

We do not currently have details about whether they would support a rush hour HGV ban, the cycling budget and their plans for the congestion charge, but if we get more information we will publish that here.

Who will give us safe cycling?

Our next mayor could make or break cycling in London. There has been a mini boom in cycling after hard won improvements bought in under Boris, even though only half of the original Cycle Superhighways and a dozen 'safer junctions' are built.

Despite this, the impact of the schemes has been huge, with a big increase in cycling along the routes and no doubt those under construction will tell a similar story. It is clear there is a huge demand for protected cycling and we need the next mayor to enthusiastically back these projects, clear the backlog and expand protected cycling across London.

When we surveyed our supporters last year we found the important issues you wanted us to campaign on were:

• Demand a programme to build protected cycle facilities at junctions and along main roads in every borough.  
• Ban HGVs from the rush hour and make them deliver early in the morning or during the day.

While some of the mayoral candidates fully support these aims, some of the main contenders offer very limited support for the Cycle Superhighways programme and are reluctant to support protected space for cycling. All of the candidates support safer lorries but not all will commit to banning them from the rush hour.

Here is where the candidates stand:

	@ZacGoldsmith	@SadiqKhan	@CarolinePidgeon	@sianberry
Protected cycle facilities at junctions and along main roads	‘I’ll rip up London’s cycle superhighways if they don’t work’	Narrower cycle tracks and promises to 'make sure cars flow smoother', although his manifesto promises to build on the work of Ken and Boris...	"I want to carry on the cycle superhighways – even the controversial bits – but I also want to look at outer London, because I think that there’s a real opportunity there to get more people out of their cars and on to bikes for those shorter trips."	"I’d put new segregated cycling infrastructure top of the list for new investment plans. For me it’s the number one measure that would get a wider range of people cycling... we’re well overdue this kind of road space revolution in London!"
HGV Ban	No - Update and adjust the current London Lorry Control Scheme	No - Work... to reduce the number of large lorries... particularly at the busiest times.	A rush hour ban to reduce congestion and keep cyclists safe.	Sian would introduce a rush hour HGV ban.
TfL's cycling budget	No details.	Would increase, but no commitment.	Would nearly double spending on cycling to 3% of Transport for London’s budget.	Supports a substantial increase paid for by city-wide congestion charging.
Congestion charging	No details in his manifesto.	No change to the congestion charge.	Increase the congestion charge to reduce the number of motor vehicles in the central London zone.	Bring in a road-charging system to extend the congestion charge city-wide.
Notes	Manifesto: “Pedicabs in the West End have become an urban menace, ripping off tourists and tripping up pedestrians”. Zac would expand cycle hire schemes.	Sadiq would investigate the merits of car free weekends in central London.	Caroline has signed up to the London Cycling Campaign's ambitous 'Sign for Cycling' pledges	Sian has signed up to the London Cycling Campaign's ambitous 'Sign for Cycling' pledges

See also: Sophie Walker - Women's Equality Party

Green Party Manifesto released

After publishing my post about Caroline and Sian yesterday, we now have the Green Party manifesto - so here's an update on Sian Berry's policies:

Sian Berry

Sian Berry is a Green Party Councillor in Camden, previously worked as a roads and sustainable transport campaigner at the charity Campaign for Better Transport and cycles to work.

She has previously signed up to the LCC's 'Sign for Cycling' vision (currently the only other candidate backing this ambitious challenge is Caroline Pidgeon). Sign for Cycling is a commitment to:

• Triple the number of miles of protected cycle lanes on London’s roads, 
• Introduce a ‘Mini-Holland’ for every London borough and 
• Action to end lorry danger. 

The Green Party transport manifesto begins:

"Greens will prioritise investment in walking, cycling and public transport to help people out of car dependency. Our policies won’t create new traffic or make air pollution and congestion worse."

The Green Party manifesto is a detailed document with many proposals to improve cycling and reduce car use. Of particular interest to this campaign, they are proposing to:

• Increase funding for major cycling projects with a requirement for safe junctions and segregated space, so that Londoners of all ages can cycle safely. 
• Introduce a rush hour HGV ban.
• Bring in a city-wide road-charging system to extend the congestion charge and a 20mph default speed limit on all Transport for London roads.

There are also proposals about pedestrian/cycle bridges over the Thames in East London, car-free Sundays in the West End, expanding the Cycle Hire scheme and addressing the failure of the justice system to adequately prosecute driving offences which result in serious injury. 

The manifesto does not include a commitment to spend a certain percentage of Transport for London's budget on cycling, but she has previously discussed very significant increases in investment. 

Finally, the manifesto also highlights their commitment to working with campaigners to get the best for London:

http://saferoxfordstreet.blogspot.co.uk/

Caroline and Sian on bikes

In a follow up to my post about Zac and Sadiq, today I am writing about the mayoral candidates Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat) and Sian Berry (Green).

Both candidates have been vocal about their ambitions for cycling, have plendged serious investment and they are currently the only candidates to sign up to the LCC's Sign for Cycling vision.

Sign for Cycling includes three main pledges which align closely with the aims of this campaign:

• Triple the number of miles of protected cycle lanes on London’s roads, to help people of all ages and abilities access the road network by bike. We need high-quality, protected space on main roads and at junctions to avoid forcing cyclists to mix with heavy or fast moving motor traffic. 
• A ‘Mini-Holland’ for every London borough - ‘Mini-Holland’ schemes create cycle-friendly town-centres. They encourage people to make local journeys by bike or on foot, help regenerate communities, and bring more customers to local businesses. 
• London’s next Mayor must act to end lorry danger. This must include upgrading the Safer Lorry Scheme and using planning powers over major construction projects so that only the safest lorries, are allowed onto London’s streets.

This establishes both candidates as frontrunners in terms of cycling ambition and policy, here are some of the details of their proposals.

Caroline Pidgeon

Caroline Pidgeon is a long standing member of the London Assembly and advocate of cycling and road safety. She is keen to make the point that improving London for cycling improves the environment for everyone and her policies are for the benefit of all Londoners. Key policies:

• She is unashamedly pro cycling in her proposal for a central London lorry ban to reduce congestion and keep cyclists safe.
• Increase the congestion charge to reduce the number of motor vehicles in the central London zone.
• Nearly double spending on cycling to 3% of Transport for London’s budget by the end of her term in office to match the number of people cycling (and further increases if more people cycle).
• Face the tough political decisions "I want to carry on the cycle superhighways – even the controversial bits – but I also want to look at outer London, because I think that there’s a real opportunity there to get more people out of their cars and on to bikes for those shorter trips."

She has appeared in a video interview with Chris Boardman, which is worth a listen if you have three and a half spare minutes.

Sian Berry

Sian Berry is a Green Party Councillor in Camden, previously worked as a roads and sustainable transport campaigner at the charity Campaign for Better Transport and cycles to work. 

We don't yet have details of the official Green Party policies for the election (we will publish when we do). Previously she responded to Stop Killing Cyclist's 10 by 2020 campaign and detailed her ambition for cycling:

Making cycling an easier and safer way to travel would make our city better in so many ways: reducing traffic and congestion, cutting the pollution that causes nearly 10,000 early deaths every year, reducing noise, allowing more space to be given to pedestrians, play and life on the streets, and helping citizens stay fit and healthy too.

• Responding to a call for 10% of Transport for London's budget to be spent on cycling she said she would work towards this if elected, but recognised she would need to ensure bus and tube services didn’t suffer as a result. She suggested funds could be found by:
• Cancelling the planned new motorway bridges and tunnels in East London.
• Introducing a Workplace Parking Levy using existing powers, similar to her proposals in Camden. 
• An overhaul of the congestion charge (see below).
• She proposes replacing the Congestion Charge with a scheme covering all of London (not just the small central zone), with the funds raised used to provide sustainable transport options.
• On physically protected cycle lanes she says "For me it’s the number one measure that would get a wider range of people cycling, and get current cyclists using their bikes for more journeys... If New York can do it, we’re well overdue this kind of road space revolution in London!". We agree.
• She supported having two cyclists positions on the TfL board - one for inner and one for outer London - and reducing the number of business representatives.

Boris' Air Pollution Legacy

At the end of Boris' term, London is still experiencing high levels of illegal air pollution with health impacts for tens of thousands of Londoners. His response to this has been to propose a scheme he's called the 'Ultra Low Emission Zone' (ULEZ). This article looks in to the details of this, why it isn't going to give us clean air and what different mayoral candidates are proposing:

• The Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) are referring to the same small area of central London. Essentially the ULEZ is an update on the CCZ with additional environmental considerations. 
• It means vehicles have to be at the latest EU standards (Euro 6 for diesels, Euro 4 for petrol), So this doesn't ban diesels.
• It begins in 2020.

Other measures to reduce air pollution:

Currently the mayor has just got buses to the Euro 4 standard at the end of 2015 (by retrofitting Euro 3). The mayor has pinned his hopes on Euro 6 and so many of the buses in service are two generations older and very significantly dirtier.

Impact

• 9'500 deaths in London each year: http://www.healthyair.org.uk/twice-as-many-deaths-caused-by-air-pollution-in-london/
• Cardiovascular diseases account for 80% of all premature deaths due to air pollution. That's around 20 Londoners a day are dying from Cardiovascular Diseases linked to air pollution, mostly heart attacks and strokes. 
• Royal College of Physicians latest report: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/every-breath-we-take-lifelong-impact-air-pollution

It is obvious that the proposed ULEZ is coming in too late, lacks of decisive action and will fail to make any significant improvement apart from in a very limited area of central London.

Mayoral Candidates:

Zac (Conservative): Backing Boris' inadequate plans and promising more of the same.

Sadiq (Labour): Although showing a willingness to go further than Boris, his policies currently lack decisive action to deliver clean air for all Londoners. 

• Consult on bringing forward the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and expanding it along major arterial routes or a wider section of central London. Lack of details on what he would like to introduce.
• Call upon the Government to introduce a diesel vehicle scrappage scheme to support those who wish to change to a greener car. But not using his mayoral powers to ban these vehicles...
• Deliver the electric charging infrastructure, in partnership with the private sector, necessary for a major expansion in the use of electric vehicles.

Caroline (Lib Dems): Caroline Pidgeon's experience as an assembly member shows in her policies for clean air, which they say aren't just ambitious, but are deliverable in practice by a future mayor:

• Immediately add a £2:50 surcharge for diesels in the zone,
• Start the ULEZ in 2018 (2 years earlier)
• Ban diesel vehicles up to and including double-decker buses (not HGVS, presumably due to lack of alternatives) from the zone by 2024

Sian (Green Party): The Green Party are proposing a raft of policies to tighten up and improve the ULEZ in addition to making sure it is expanded to a wider area. This includes:

• Immediately introduce a higher congestion charge for all but the cleanest vehicles in central London, to create a Very Low Emission Zone. We will invite boroughs to opt in some or all of their area to expand this zone into illegally polluted parts of inner and outer London.
• Begin consultation immediately on a scheme to replace the ULEZ that will cover all of London and be effective in complying with the law. This could be combined with the new traffic demand management scheme we will develop to replace the Congestion Charge. 

Conclusions

While Sadiq is clearly leading Zac with his ambition for clean air, neither of the leading candidates are proposing decisive action on air pollution. In contrast, both the Liberal Democrats and the Greens are proposing immediate actions which would start giving us cleaner air from day one with plans to tighten the rules significantly over the next 5 years.

However in order to improve the health of the millions of Londoners living away from the centre, it's clear that clean air measures must be applied far beyond the limited zone currently proposed.

If you want to highlight the problem of air pollution, Stop Killing Cyclists are holding an Air Pollution Protest outside the Department for Transport on the 27th April - gathering from 5pm, main  action 6-6:30, join after work, details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1124784950872843/

Support Londoners on Bikes!

Ahead of the London mayoral election a group called Londoners On Bikes campaigning for better cycling in London. As well as asking candidates to commit to ambitious improvements for cycling in London, they are also putting pressure on candidates to set out their policies in real detail, so voters can make an informed choice.

As well as online campaigning, they are also tagging bikes and handing out flyers at junctions across London. You can find out more about their plans here:

http://www.londonersonbikes.org/

Sign up on their website to add weight to their calls for safer cycling in London and they will also make sure you're fully informed of the candidates' policies before polling day!

Our 2015 demands - Reviewing the Mayor's responses

Our 2015 demands are making real progress thanks to all our supporters who have emailed the Mayor and members of the London Assembly in the summer:

• The Mayor has responded to our emails and also to the question put by Darren Johnson in the London Assembly.
• Significantly, the cause is now being taken further with support across the political spectrum most notably by Darren Johnson AM (Green Party), Andrew Boff AM (Conservative Party) and Caroline Pidgeon AM (Liberal Democrat), with Labour Party assembly members also said to be in favour.

This is a sea change in the debate around HGV safety which signals significant political will across the board to address this endemic problem.

While the responses from the Mayor have been positive, they don't include the decisive action we need (yet). However there are signals that significant progress is possible and our campaigning can make that happen.

Rush Hour Lorry Ban

The Mayor says:

I have asked TfL to examine the practicality and potential implications of restricting certain vehicles at certain times as part of its wider freight programme. A full assessment of the implications of any peak time restriction is needed to avoid unintended consequences, such as an increase in vans on the road or an increase in HGVs at other times of the day. 

While it is good this option is being considered, this statement puts the Mayor a long way from implementing any ban.

However, the email also indicates they are looking at ways to remove HGV traffic from cycle routes. This could achieve the same objective - separating HGV traffic from bike traffic to reduce accidents.

The Mayor says the GLA will start using it's planning powers to force construction HGVs to use designated routes & avoid roads with large numbers of cyclists and "Discussions with the London boroughs and the construction industry have already started to ensure that this happens as fast as possible."

The discussions the boroughs may possibly be about existing ‘weight limit enforcement action’ powers which are generally not being enforced. Hackney has successfully been enforcing their ban for a number of years and the City of London are set to start enforcing their central area ban (which includes junctions where HGVs killed cyclists in 2015). As these are existing powers many other boroughs could start implementing these immediately in order to keep cyclists safe this winter. This is an area where pressure from cyclists can make a real difference.

Construction Industry to adopt CLOCS

The Mayor has stated he is working with TfL to encourage companies to adopt CLOCS, which is welcome lacks any requirement for contractors to use this system. They go on to say:

In January the Mayor will consult on requiring further safety modifications including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce driver blind spots. Bigger side windows, in the lower panel of the cab door, give the driver direct vision of any cyclist who may be alongside them, and can be fitted to most lorries for around £1000. This consultation will be complete and a decision taken before the Mayoral election. In the meantime, as soon as the work can be physically completed, it will be ensured that such windows are fitted to all vehicles undertaking work for TfL, Crossrail, or any other member of the Greater London Authority (GLA) family.

This step towards 'direct-vision' lorries is a very positive sign as 'blind spot minimisation' is one of the measures needed to implement CLOCS. Not only will this make lorries safer, but it is potentially a step towards the roll out of CLOCS in the future and sets a strong precedent for the boroughs.

We need to keep making the case for CLOCS to be adopted by all GLA and borough HGVs to make sure this is adopted as widely as possible.

Confidential reporting of bad practice

The Mayor has responded:

I support any measure that exposes bad practice and increases our understanding of how incidents occur and what needs to be done to prevent future collisions. CIRAS is a whistleblowing scheme widely used in other transport sectors to allow confidential reporting of bad practice by employees, but does not currently cover HGV operations and is not available to members of the public to raise concerns. I have asked TfL to investigate whether CIRAS would provide any additional benefit to the existing range of measures in place to report, investigate and manage bad practice.

It seems clear that CIRAS would contribute to making a much more robust reporting system for bad practice - it is in everyone's interests that potential problems are picked up before they result in tragedy. We will continue to call for for confidential reporting systems as part of improvements to the way TfL identifies and investigates bad practice.

Enforcement

We have recently set up a Freight Compliance Unit (FCU), formed of officers and staff from TfL, the MPS and DVSA and the FCU shares information on operator compliance in order to ensure that enforcement is intelligence led and our efforts are coordinated.

We hope this team will bring new energy to enforcement action in London. This unit will be judged on the number of dangerous lorries taken off the roads, the impact on compliance rates, and the ability to crack down on rogue operators. We will probably need to wait until next year to fully see what the impact of this unit is, but should push for regular status updates before then to ensure it receives the attention it deserves.

The Mayor also says:

I encourage Londoners to report any illegal activity or failure to comply with the law via the RoadSafe London website, which is run by the MPS.

Unfortunately there are many reports suggesting that the RoadSafe website is not always an effective place to report dangerous driving (possibly due to lack of resources and a large number of reports). For alternative places to report bad driving please see this post from the Safer Oxford Street blog.

Official response to our campaign email

Further to the Mayor's written response to our demands in the Question posed by Darren Johnson AM we have also received a direct response from the Mayor's public liaison unit via email, copied in full below:

Dear Fred

Thank you for your petition to the Mayor about HGVs and cycle safety. The Mayor is committed to improving cycling safety and is particularly conscious of the dangers posed by Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) to cyclists. That is why he and Transport for London (TfL) have taken a number of steps to address this issue.

HGVs, and particularly construction vehicles, are involved in a disproportionate number of fatal collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians. On 1 September 2015, London launched the UK's first Safer Lorry Scheme, which is designed to protect these vulnerable road users. The scheme legally requires every vehicle driving in London weighing more than 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with basic safety equipment. Under London's scheme, most vehicles that are currently exempt from national legislation for this equipment, such as construction vehicles, will have to be retrofitted. Class V and Class VI mirrors give the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their vehicle. Side guards protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision.

As part of the Safer Lorry Scheme launch, the Mayor also set out plans for strengthening the scheme in the future. In January the Mayor will consult on requiring further safety modifications including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce driver blind spots. Bigger side windows, in the lower panel of the cab door, give the driver direct vision of any cyclist who may be alongside them, and can be fitted to most lorries for around £1000. This consultation will be complete and a decision taken before the Mayoral election. In the meantime, as soon as the work can be physically completed, it will be ensured that such windows are fitted to all vehicles undertaking work for TfL, Crossrail, or any other member of the Greater London Authority (GLA) family.

Extensive trials are also now being undertaken at the Transport Research Laboratory of a variety of electronic sensors for lorries, aiming to alert drivers to cyclists' presence. If any of these devices are shown to offer significant and consistent benefits, it may also be required that they be fitted to lorries in London.

Many of the most dangerous vehicles are construction-related. For future major construction projects, GLA planning powers will be used to strictly prescribe the routes which HGVs serving them can follow - requiring, for instance, that they avoid a road heavily used by cyclists or take a route that minimises the number of left turns, the most dangerous manoeuvre. Discussions with the London boroughs and the construction industry have already started to ensure that this happens as fast as possible.

Following the launch of the Mayor's Cycling Vision for London in spring 2013, there has been a step change in the approach to cycling facilities across London. Two new, substantially segregated, high quality Cycle Superhighways will be built, running east-west and north-south through Central London. Construction has begun on the north-south route and on the first phase of the east-west route with completion expected in spring 2016. The new Superhighways will provide clear and convenient routes through London for cyclists, physically separated from other vehicles.

Similarly, the Better Junctions programme aims to improve safety at high profile junctions and gyratories in London. Thirty-three locations have been identified where significant improvements can be delivered for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. TfL will deliver improvements at 10 of the 33 Better Junctions by May 2016. Consultations so far have included Aldgate, Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Lancaster Gate, Oval, Parliament Square and Tower Gateway. TfL is also trialling a range of innovative cycle infrastructure measures including Dutch style roundabouts and cycle priority junctions. A number of these innovations have now gone live at Oval junction, including cyclist specific traffic lights and a new 'hold the left turn' feature.

These programmes dovetail very closely with what cyclists have been demanding. The Mayor is committed to making progress as quickly as possible, while ensuring that these improvements are done properly. Cycling safety has been and will remain at the heart of the Mayor's administration and the Mayor is determined to make things better for cyclists in London.

Thank you again for contacting the Mayor.

Yours sincerely


Mohammed Rahman
Public Liaison Unit

---

Dear Boris, Jennette, Caroline and Darren,

7 out of the 8 cyclist fatalities this year have involved HGVs [1] and we need the mayor and GLA to do more to protect cyclists and pedestrians. There are still too many dangerous lorries and too many dangerous junctions in London. We are calling for urgent action to reduce injuries and deaths:

• A rush hour lorry ban. When we asked earlier this year over half of our supporters wanted a lorry ban in the rush hour [2]. 
• The construction industry must adopt 'CLOCS' safety standards to prevent further deaths. Construction industry HGVs have killed 5 cyclists this year already [3], CLOCS safety standards should be made mandatory in every public section construction contract in London.
• Confidential reporting of bad practice needs to be rolled out to all HGV drivers, irrespective of whether their employer wants to take part [3].
  
• Stronger enforcement. Operators must never be allowed to put profits before lives by allowing unlicensed, untrained lorry drivers, or unsafe vehicles, to operate on our roads.

These urgent measures must be the starting point for a target of zero lorry deaths on our streets. Safe segregated routes will be key to eventually eliminating road danger but we must start with action which can save lives in 2015-16.


This call comes from the Save Our Cyclists petition and has been circulated to our supporters who have been encouraged to contact you with their personal reasons for wanting action. The petition currently has 37'946 signatures: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-cyclists


We would appreciate responses to this call and will publish all the responses we receive on our blog and Facebook page.


Kind regards,


Fred

---
References:
[1] -www.london24.com/news/cycling/london_cycle_deaths_2015_1_3964719
[2] - When we asked earlier this year over half of our supporters wanted a ban in the rush hour: http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/supporter-survey-2015-responses.html
[3] - http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/higher-safety-standards-needed-for.html

Save Our Cyclist's concerns raised with Mayor

Darren Johnson was set to raise Save Our Cyclists concerns at the Mayor's Question Time today (see question below), however the session was disrupted by protesting cabbies.

Hopefully they were able to continue later and we will be back with more details once we have them:

Question Title: Cycle safety and HGVs
Member: Darren Johnson

While your recent announcement on cycle safety and HGVs contains some welcome measures there is a very strong feeling that you should do more. Many hundreds of Londoners have been in touch with me since your announcement in support of the following measures.

• A rush hour lorry ban. 
• The construction industry to adopt 'CLOCS' safety standards to prevent further deaths.
• Confidential reporting of bad practice to be rolled out to all HGV drivers, irrespective of whether their employer wants to take part.
• Stronger enforcement so that operators are not allowed to put profits before lives by allowing unlicensed, untrained lorry drivers, or unsafe vehicles, to operate on our roads.

Will you agree to implement these?

Call on the Mayor and GLA to End Lorry Danger

Dear Friends,

7 out of the 8 cyclist fatalities this year have involved HGVs [1]. Much more could be done to protect cyclists and pedestrians from lorry danger:

• A rush hour lorry ban. When we asked earlier this year over half of our supporters wanted a lorry ban in the rush hour [2] when 40% of cycling fatalities involving lorries occur. 
• Construction industry HGVs have killed 5 cyclists this year already [3]. The construction industry must adopt 'CLOCS' safety standards to prevent further deaths. These standards should be made mandatory in every public section construction contract in London.
• Confidential reporting of bad practice needs to be rolled out to all HGV drivers, irrespective of whether their employer wants to take part [3].
  
• Stronger enforcement. Operators must never be allowed to put profits before lives by allowing unlicensed, untrained lorry drivers, or unsafe vehicles, to operate on our roads.

These urgent measures are the starting point for a target of zero lorry deaths on our streets. Safe segregated routes will be key to eventually eliminating road danger but we must start with action to save lives in 2015 not 2025.

Please forward this message along with your own demand for action to:
mayor@london.gov.uk; jennette.arnold@london.gov.uk; caroline.pidgeon@london.gov.uk; darren.johnson@london.gov.uk; campaignsbyyou@38degrees.org.uk

This list includes all the parties represented in the GLA. We need to make sure HGV danger is firmly on the agenda as the parties look forward to the next mayoral election. We will be publishing their responses so please copy us in.

Kind regards,

Fred

---
References:
[1] - www.london24.com/news/cycling/london_cycle_deaths_2015_1_3964719
[2] - When we asked earlier this year over half of our supporters wanted a ban in the rush hour: http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/supporter-survey-2015-responses.html
[3] - http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/higher-safety-standards-needed-for.html

End Lorry Danger

7 out of the 8 cyclist fatalities this year have involved HGVs - Please support the London Cycling Campaign's call for urgent action including a rush hour lorry ban, introduction of 'direct vision' lorries and enforcement to catch rogue operators.

Support the call to End Lorry Danger here

These urgent measures are the starting point for a target of zero lorry deaths on our streets. Safe segregated routes will be key to eliminating the danger in the long run but the process must start with a commitment from the mayor to put a stop to these tragedies and a willingness to take bold action.

The LCC's three demands for urgent action:

• A rush hour lorry ban – 40% of cycling fatalities involving lorries occur between 8am and 9.30am. (When we asked earlier this year over half of our supporters wanted a ban in the rush hour).
• Improved driver vision – It’s time to get lorries with restricted vision out of our city and only allow in lorries with “direct vision” design. (In a traditional lorry cab the driver can barely see the road close to the front and sides of the lorry, relying on various small mirrors to cover the numerous blind spots).
• Stronger enforcement – Operators must never be allowed to put profits before lives by allowing unlicensed, untrained lorry drivers, or unsafe vehicles, to operate on our roads.

You can read more about the LCC's campaign here and analysis from the Road Danger Reduction Forum here.

Higher standards needed for lorries in London

In addition to these urgent actions, there are many more measures which could be introduced in the next few years to improve the safety of lorries. These include widespread adoption of CLOCS style standards for operators, confidential reporting for concerns & bad practice and changes by national government. You can read about this in more detail here.

Physically protected Space4Cycling essential

While measures to improve the safety of lorries have the potential to significantly reduce the numbers of cyclists killed on London's roads over the next few years, they will only go so far. For the longer term we must continue the campaign for physically protected cycle lanes on busy roads until London achieves a comprehensive grid of safe cycle routes.

Higher safety standards needed for lorries in London

Lorries in London pose an unacceptable risk to cyclists and pedestrians. A range of practical measures have been identified to improve safety through better design, operation and regulation. We must insist adoption of these measures as a high priority for the mayor and TfL.

Higher standards

The Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) standards were developed to reduce the high numbers of cyclists being killed by lorries from the construction industry. They note:

There is a particular issue in London and between 2008 and 2013, 55 per cent of cycling fatalities involved a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, despite these vehicles representing just 4 per cent of the road miles travelled in the capital.

Analysis of the cycling figures found that a disproportionate number of the vehicles involved were construction related.

This year five of the seven lorries which killed cyclists were tipper trucks operated by the construction industry (the other two lorries were supplying the  retail industry).

While construction industry lorries pose a particularly high risk to vulnerable road users, in order to eliminate lorry deaths there will need to be safety improvements to all lorries on London's roads.

These standards, or equivalent, should be rolled out to cover coaches and lorries outside the construction industry. Compliance with these standards should also be made a mandatory requirement for companies working on public sector contracts in London

Confidential reporting of dangerous practice

Many industries use confidential reporting systems to improve their safety record - in fact the construction industry already has confidential reporting for structural safety. Following a concerted campaign the confidential reporting scheme CIRAS is being made available to bus drivers in London.

A confidential reporting scheme should be extended to all HGV drivers and become a mandatory part of the CLOCS standards for fleet operators. It should also be made available to drivers whether or not their employer wants to take part as the worst operators should not be able to avoid the measures which would make them accountable and prevent accidents.

Action needed to improve the safety of all lorries in the UK

The CTC are campaigning for improvements at a national level and you can read about their campaign for higher lorry standards and stronger enforcement nationally here.

Will London's mayoral candidates support Space4Cycling?

With Labour's national leadership contest all over the news their London leadership race has slipped under the radar. However if you live in London this could be quite a big thing - the winner of this contest will help set the debate in the run up to the mayoral elections and could even replace Boris as the next mayor.

So it seems like a good time to review where the different parties sit on cycling commitments and also to return to a subject I've discussed before - Labour's sometimes lukewarm attitude to cycling.

Where do the different parties sit on Space4Cycling?

The Space4Cycling campaign was run over a year ago for the local elections. Although the responses only record support for the campaign and not the candidates' other policies, the results are stark:

Party	Elected  Councillors	Support    S4C	Percentage
Labour	1060	649	61%
Conservative	612	112	18%
Lib Dem	116	69	59%
Green	5	5	100%
UKIP	12	1	8%
Other	47	27	57%

This shows Labour councillors form a significant majority of those supporting Space4Cycling and the percentage support is greater than all other parties except for the Green Party. The Lib Dems and independent candidates have slightly lower support rates.

Fewer than 1 in 5 Conservative candidates supported Space4Cycling (three times less than Labour). It is important to note that there are several vocal Conservatives cycling advocates, notably Boris Johnson who has overseen implementation of the most ambitious cycling plans London has seen to date.

Irrespective of the candidates' other policies it is clear the LCC and cycling campaigners have not been able to reach and engage with the Conservative party effectively. From experience most mayoral elections have been two horse races and it seems that cycling campaigners in London need to do more to get Conservative supporters and politicians supporting cycling.

Only a single UKIP councillor supported Space4Cycling and at the other end of the spectrum the Green Party fully supported the campaign.

Election for leader of London Labour

It's too late to sign up as a supporter but cyclists in London who signed up for the national leadership election will soon be able to vote in London's race. This is a chance for cyclists to send a clear message to the London Labour Party demanding ambitious plans and aspirations for cycling.

At this point I should say that I am not a member of the Labour Party, however I did spend the £3 to become a 'supporter' so I could put in a vote for Christian Wolmar and his cycling advocacy.

Wolmar has stood with a strong pro-cycling stance addressing many of the key issues faced by cyclists in London. I have copied his cycling manifesto below and if you're able to vote in the upcoming selection process consider putting Wolmar at the top of your list of preferences. He says:

I know the problems faced by cyclists. I am a lifelong cyclist and covered 3,500 miles on London’s roads last year and I was a board member of Cycling England until its abolition.

Cycling will be at the heart of my transport policy. There are 600,000 cycle journeys in London every day, representing a key mode of transport. It is vital that London is made safe for cyclists of all ages and abilities so that more people can enjoy this fantastic means of getting round London

So I will:

1. Create a network of Dutch style segregated lanes
2. Encourage local cycling schemes by funding ‘mini Holland’ type schemes in every borough
3. Endorse a ‘vision zero’ on road deaths
4. Ban HGV traffic at peak times on busy cycling routes
5. Introduce a 20 mph limit that is properly enforced
6. Build a cycle bridge across the Thames in the east, and scrap the Garden Bridge
7. Extend the cycle hire scheme to more boroughs and reduce the cost
8. Ensure cyclists are at the heart of every road junction redesign
9. Create 50,000 new cycle parking spaces
10. Keep cycling commissioner Andrew Gilligan to give the programme continuity

Boris' promises vs. his legacy

Boris is approaching the end of his time as mayor and we're starting to get an idea of which parts he will and won't deliver, however there's still a lot to play for. As Cyclists in the City has written, we need to make sure we get as many promises delivered as possible to ensure the step change for cycling in London isn't a false start. 

Some of the plans are due to be delivered under the next mayor who might not be supportive. We will need to keep campaigning to get the best for cycling and set a precedent for ambitious cycling schemes.

Cycling Superhighways

Mayor Watch report "Two cycle superhighways axed while third is pushed back until 2017".

Originally twelve Cycling Superhighways were planned, with four delivered (numbers 2, 3, 7, 8). Lack of protection for cyclists in the original designs means CS2 is being substantially revisited and all further plans are expected to be substantially segregated.

Proposals for largely segregated routes have been bought forward for CS5 and the North-South & East-West routes, which were not on the original announcement.

Darren Johnson AM (@DarrenJohnsonAM) asked several questions to check the progress of the remaining Cycling Superhighways, these revealed:

• CS1, Tottenham to Liverpool Street - consultation planned this year.
• CS4, Woolwich to Tower Bridge - consultation in winter 2015.
• CS6, Penge to City via Camberwell and Elephant & Castle - deleted from the programme.
• CS9, Hounslow to Hyde Park Corner - In July mayor was asked "Why has there been no apparent progress on taking forward the Hounslow Cycle Superhighway, despite it being 18 months since councillors agreed designs?" We now know this has been blocked by Kensington and Chelsea.
• CS10, Cricklewood to Marble Arch - proposal replaced by the East-West superhighway.
• CS11, Park Royal to Hyde Park Corner - consultation in spring 2015.
• CS12, Archway to Angel - deleted from the programme.

Dangerous Junction Reviews

Darren Johnson has questioned the mayor about the one hundred junctions they promised to review. Written response from the Mayor and Commissioner:

TfL remains fully committed to reviewing all the original 100 locations and making appropriate improvements at any junction where recommendations have been made as a result of this review. A phased review of junctions has commenced, with reviews at 70 junctions completed to date. TfL aims to complete the review process by the end of 2015.

In terms of outcomes being released they say:

If recommendations for improvements arise following the review process at each junction, they will be consulted on publicly and all responses considered before being progressed into detailed design and construction.

Which begs the question, of the 70 reviewed, how many need improvements in addition to the 33 previously identified?

Junction improvements

In February Boris promised to improve 33 of London's most dangerous junctions, as shown on the map below:



Boris has said ten of these will be delivered by May 2016, the schedule for the remaining 23 (including the notorious Bow Roundabout) has not been released but seems likely to be the responsibility of the next mayor.

Cycle Parking

In response to a question from Caroline Pidgeon the Mayor gave the following update:

In 2008, I committed to delivering an additional 66,000 cycle parking spaces between 2008-2012. This was delivered one year early, with 67,208 cycle parking spaces secured and delivered by TfL and its delivery partners by the end of March 2011.

They are now planning to install an additional 80'000 by 2016 and have installed 30'000 - which seems like an awful lot considering how little of it I see on the roads...

Cyclists turning left on red

Question No: 2014/2984 from Caroline Pidgeon:

On page 26 of your 2008 vision for transport, Way to Go, you stated that you would consider allowing cyclists to turn left at red lights, as is allowed in many other European cities. 

Written response from the Mayor and Commissioner:

Allowing cyclists to turn left on a red light at signal-controlled junctions would require a change in UK law. TfL has raised this with the Department of Transport, but we understand the Department has no current intention of exploring such a change. It has not been allowed in the draft revised Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (due for publication in 2015). 

TfL is therefore introducing other cycle-friendly innovations that can be introduced under current regulations.  This includes the provision of early starts for cyclists at signalised junctions and the provision of dedicated lanes for cyclists to bypass signals.  

Conclusions

Cycle Superhighways - FOUR dropped, two new routes added leaving us with ten. In addition, the delivery of several of these routes is going to be under the next mayor. But by the end of Boris' term we should have half the routes delivered (possibly more) and the remainder in the pipeline.

Safer Junctions: 100 reviewed, 33+ identified but only ten delivered.

Cycle parking: Boris met his target.

Looking forward to the election campaign for the next mayor we will need to be pushing candidates to commit to completing the Cycle Superhighways & Safer Junctions, as well as going forwards with their own cycling projects.

P.S. ACTION NEEDED!

Canary Wharf Group PLC have been secretly briefing against the Cycling Superhighways but they chair the Transport for London finance committee which decides whether these get funded.

If they get their way the Cycling Superhighways will be stalled or scrapped at the November meeting. I don't think they are likely to succeed but it isn't a chance we can take.

Write to your London Assembly Members to demand Canary Wharf employees are removed from their committees and have no chance to torpedo the plans: www.writetothem.com (once you input your postcode it gives you a list of people you can write to).

Notes:

• For an analysis of recent schemes see 'TfL - mixed progress on segregated cycling'.
• Much of this information comes from Q&As from the London Assembly collated by the Green Party Group. You can receive their emails by contacting Rachel.Carlill@london.gov.uk 
• The new information also revealed a segregated scheme for Kings Cross is being looked at for consultation next year!