LCC News

After a successful consultation, and responding to requests from LCC and Cyclists in the City, the City of London has introduced two-way cycling on 11 streets within the square mile where there were restrictions before.

The changes enable cyclists to reduce the length of their journeys and avoid very busy streets.

According to the City of London, “The improvements will provide 800 metres worth of street changes with a potential journey distance reduction of 2km for cyclists.”

Two way working in Watergate for example, now enables cyclists to avoid busy traffic on Farringdon Road as they come off Blackfriars Bridge and follow a quieter route to Camden via Shoe Lane and Hatton Gardens.

LCC sees the changes as ’a welcome outbreak of common sense’ and encourages other boroughs to follow the City of London example of improving cycle access to all streets.

The streets affected by the new measures are:

• Cutler Street
• Carter Lane and Creed Lane
• Watergate and Kingscote Street
• Russia Row and Trump Street
• Furnival Street

As part of the changes the City says it has also been possible to remove the one-way restrictions on some streets for all vehicles.

This will improve accessibility for all on:

• Stoney Lane and White Kennett Street 
• Norwich Street

Christine, mother of Dan Cox who died after being struck by an HGV in Dalston, will remember the tragedy by walking her son's last cycle route on Thursday 2 February 2012, exactly one year after he died.

She'll be setting off at 4.30pm from 54 Lower Clapton Road, and be joined by friends of Dan, as well as other wellwishers.

The group expect to arrive at Dalston Junction at 5pm, where they'll stop to pay their respects at the ghost bike put there in memory of Dan (see photo).

Then they'll continue to Camden, expecting to reach the Edinburgh Castle pub (where Dan worked) towards 7:30pm.

Christine Cox said: "One year ago on the 2nd Feb, our beautiful Dan left his flat for the last time. I would like to walk his final journey, leaving at the time that Dan left and stopping at his ghost bike at Dalston Junction and lighting some candles.

"I hope others will be able to join me. We plan to go on to the Edinburgh Castle in Camden afterwards to complete Dan's journey so if you can't make the walk/cycle we could have a drink in Dan's memory later.

"If we could get lots of cyclists to join in perhaps that will draw attention to the needless loss of life on our roads and in particular to the senseless loss of our beautiful boy."

28-year-old Dan Cox died after being struck by a left-turning lorry at Dalston Junction. He was rushed to Homerton Hospital but died several days later of his injuries.

Dalston Junction is recognised a problem junction, where the A10 meets the North Cross Road, both routes with serious casualty problems.

Charlie Lloyd, LCC's campaigns office and lorry expert said, "Our thoughts are with the family and friends."

Close friend of Dan Cox, Daniel Barnes raised £7000 last year for LCC's No More Lethal Lorries campaign and the hospital where Dan was treated. 

Responding to pressure from the London Cycling Campaign and others, Transport for London has announced it will redesign the lethal roundabout at Bow to make it safer for cyclists.

The move comes just weeks after LCC persuaded 2750 London cyclists to write to Mayor Boris Johnson asking him to ‘make Bow safe’; organised a candlelit vigil attended by families of two cyclists recently killed at Bow; and published its own safe roundabout design on the LCC website.

TfL has published two proposals as to how the junction could be made safer, and has promised to take into account LCC feedback before implementing any changes.

LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said, “We’re delighted Transport for London has finally responded to cyclists’ calls for Bow roundabout to be redesigned, though it’s a tragedy two people had to die first.

“At first sight, these designs potentially offer improved cyclist safety, which is vital ahead of the Olympics when it’s hoped large numbers will visit the Games by bike.

“We welcome the fact that the two Bow proposals show a more innovative approach to cycling infrastructure than we’re used to seeing from Transport for London, including a willingness to propose measures commonly used on the Continent such as cyclist-specific traffic lights.

“However, we’re still calling for a comprehensive redesign of the entire junction to bring it into line with the highest standards of street layout seen on the Continent, for the benefit of everyone.

“We’ll scrutinise these proposals in detail to make sure the safety benefits are real.”

Despite the improvements offered for cyclist safety, the issue of pedestrian safety remains a major concern, and LCC will continue to liaise with pedestrian groups to ensure everyone can cross the junction in safety.

LCC will also be asking all its members, especially those in the local area, to give their views.

There's more information about the proposals (including images and videos) at www.tfl.gov.uk/bowroundabout.

As part of the preparations for our Go Dutch campaign, we're looking for volunteers to have their photo taken by a professional snapper at our office near London Bridge this Saturday.

NB, NEW DATE: 1-4pm, Saturday 21 January 2012

LOCATION: London Cycling Campaign, 2 Newhams Row, London, SE1 3UZ

We'll only need 5-10 mins of your time, and in return you'll get a high-quality studio-style portrait for your collection (if you want one)

We want photos of all kinds of London cyclists (with a bike or without) so please come along and help us promote cycling in London

It doesn't matter whether you're in commuting cycling gear, a smart suit, or shorts and sandals

You can come on your own, as a couple, with friends, or as a family

Hopefully, you'll have time for a cup of tea and a chat too, but we'll only need a few minutes of your time

Please spare us a little time to help promote cycling in London

Our 'Go Dutch' campaign is calling on the mayoral candidates to pledge to make London a more liveable city for everyone by making our streets as safe and inviting for cycling as they are in Holland

photos Ben Broomfield

As part of the preparations for our Go Dutch campaign, we're looking for volunteers to have their photo taken by a professional snapper at our office near London Bridge this Saturday.

1pm-4pm, London Cycling Campaign, 2 Newhams Row, London, SE1 3UZ

We'll only need 5-10 mins of your time, and in return you'll get a high-quality studio-style portrait for your collection (if you want one)

We want photos of all kinds of London cyclists (with a bike or without) so please come along and help us promote cycling in London

It doesn't matter whether you're in commuting cycling gear, a smart suit, or shorts and sandals

You can come on your own, as a couple, with friends, or as a family

Hopefully, you'll have time for a cup of tea and a chat too, but we'll only need a few minutes of your time

Please spare us a little time to help promote cycling in London

Our 'Go Dutch' campaign is calling on the mayoral candidates to pledge to make London a more liveable city for everyone by making our streets as safe and inviting for cycling as they are in Holland

photos Ben Broomfield

Despite three years of trials showing increased danger, Transport for London is going ahead with its plans to allow motorbikes to permanently use red-route bus lanes in line with Mayor Boris Johnson's 2008 election promise.

The report on the second 18-month trial, published on 21 December 2011, shows a sharp increase in both motorcyclist fatalities on red-route bus lanes and the rate of cyclist collisions with motorbikes.

Cyclist-motorcyclist collisions increased significantly, from 10 to 25, while motorcyclist deaths increased from one in the first 18-month trial to seven in the second. 

Collision rates for motorcyclists didn't improve significantly during the second trial, which included an extensive and expensive police-enforcement programme to reduce the large number of motorcyclists ignoring speed limits.

For the second trial TfL abandoned its commitment to gather enough data for robust analysis, and very few statistically significant results were obtained.

The current study reduced the number of sites for detailed analysis and discarded two months worth of data.

Once again TfL has based its policy decision on a lack of data, ignoring the significant rise in motorcycle casualty rates in the previous study.

Its claim that "The safety of motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users is unaffected" is contradicted by the last three years' worth of data. 

TfL's press release makes no mention of any safety gains despite initiating the original trial expecting safety improvements.

The first trial concluded that "motorcyclists appear to be less safe since the scheme has been introduced".

The second trial says its results "did not change the relative overall safety of motorcyclists". 

Among the very few scientifically significant results observed was a very welcome 11.6% decrease in cyclist casualty rates on the TfL road network (TLRN or 'red routes'), though this improvement is better than that reported in other studies by TfL for the same period.

It is in sharp contrast to another significant result that cyclist-motorcyclist collisions increased from 10 to 25 on the TLRN in the second trial.

London Cycling Campaign chief executive Ashok Sinha said, "Cyclists and motorcyclists are both especially vulnerable to bad road policies; TfL's action does nothing to reduce danger for either group."

LCC's road danger expert Charlie Lloyd said, "The results in the latest bus lane trial and those of the previous three trials prove there are no safety benefits for motorcyclists.

"The results of this trial should act as a warning to other authorities not to risk allowing motorcycles in bus lanes."

TfL is committed to maintaining the extra £500,000 annual cost of motorcyclist education and enforcement, taking resources from other road safety budgets.

If you want to tell us your experience of riding in bus lanes, please email BusLanes@lcc.org.uk.

This story was updated on 20 January 2011.

In response to recent campaigns by cyclists and pedestrians, Transport for London (TfL) has announced a "strategic review of traffic movements" around King's Cross, including examining the feasibility of returning it to two-way.

TfL also says it has "identified potential options for improvements" at Bow, (another location that has been a focus of campaigning in 2011) and is carrying out "detailed modeling and design", with a view to sharing information with us in the New Year.

The announcement of the King's Cross review, due to start spring 2012, comes just 48 hours after a candlelit vigil (pictured above) in the area commemorated the deaths of over 100 people who've died on the London's roads this year. 

The review will see TfL working with Camden and Islington Councils, paying particular attention to the movements of pedestrians and cyclists. 

LCC's Mike Cavenett said, "There's still a long way to go before we see a people-friendly King's Cross, but hearing this significant change in language from Transport for London is a great Christmas present.

"It's vital the reviews at Bow and King's Cross come up with solutions that provide real benefits to cyclists and pedestrians."

A pedestrian-improvement scheme at King's Cross, which was already planned to start during the Christmas holiday period, will go ahead largely unchanged.

TfL reviewed its plans, drawn up in conjunction with Camden Council, in the wake of the death of cyclist Min Joo Lee at the junction of York Way and Gray's Inn Road in October 2011.  

The scheme promises wider pavements, reduced street clutter, and new advanced stop lines around Kings Cross station but it has decided there'll be "no significant changes to the original scheme in the short term", which it's desperate to have in place before the Olympics next year.

A crowd of nearly 200 concerned Londoners took part in a Xmas Vigil at King's Cross to remember all those who've died on the capital's roads.

Candles were laid out in the shape of a bicycle, and the names of the 16 cyclists killed this year on London's roads were read out, with tributes also paid to people on foot and motorbike, and motorists who've lost their lives.

Debbie Dorling (pictured above), widow of Brian Dorling, one of the cyclists killed at Bow roundabout this year, joined representatives from the London Cycling Campaign, RoadPeace and Living Streets in calling for Mayor Boris Johnson to address the unacceptable levels of road danger.  

Other friends and families of those who died also attended, including Kenji Hirasawa, partner of Min Joo Lee, the cyclist killed at Kings Cross in October 2011.

Sara Gookooluk, widow of motorcyclist Michael Adelman, killed in a crash at Bow this year, also attended the vigil.

The families of Ellie Carey, the cyclist killed in Bermondsey in November, sent a message of support.

LCC trustee Mustafa Arif spoke to the crowd, saying, "Thank you to everyone who've come tonight, particularly the families of those who've lost loved ones."

Mark Ames of the iBikeLondon blog, "Everyone deserves safe access to our city, and 16 deaths by bicycle are 16 deaths too many."

Caroline Russell of Islington Living Streets said, "My thoughts especially are with a friend of mine who's father, Leslie Michaelson, was killed at Kings Cross 14 years ago, knocked off his bike by a skip lorry at the same place where Deep Lee lost her life recently.

Lianna Etkind from disability access group Transport for All said, "Under the insidious label of 'smoothing traffic flow', Transport for London is ripping out pedestrian crossings increasing the risk to everyone."

Attendees at the vigil also included Jenny Jones, Green mayoral candidate, as well as assembly members Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat) and Andrew Boff (Conservative).

Labour's Val Shawcross, deputy chair of the assembly transport committee, sent apologies as she was at another event in Trafalgar Square.

From 6pm on Tuesday 20 December 2011 cyclists, pedestrians, and friends and family of recent crash victims will gather outside King's Cross station for a Xmas vigil to remember loved ones and highlight the unacceptable death toll on the capital’s roads. 

The London Cycling Campaign, RoadPeace, London Living Streets, and prominent bloggers are inviting all Londoners to join them beside one of the city's most dangerous junctions where already a cyclist has been killed this year.

The event will contrast the high levels of road danger in Greater London with the safety of Dutch cities, with cyclists in London at least twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash as they are in Holland.

Campaigners are calling on the Mayor to reject his policy of putting motor traffic flow above safety.

Over 100 Londoners are killed every year in collisions on our roads, and a large proportion of these are pedestrians, as well as cyclists, motorcyclists and car occupants.

LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said, "Every few days another London family is torn apart by the violent death of a loved one, killed needlessly on the capital's streets.

"It’s hard to imagine the pain these families will feel, especially on Christmas Day when we traditionally share the love of those closest to us.

"Sixteen of the road fatalities in 2011 have been Londoners riding bikes (up from 10 last year), and this year there have been dozens of people on foot also killed.

"London cyclists have the same right to get about safely as people in Holland, so why are we more than twice as likely to be killed in collisions in our streets?"

Mark Ames of the ibikelondon blog said, "The Dutch have shown that high-quality cycle provision and child-friendly residential zones can reduce this death toll dramatically, and improve the quality of life for all city-dwellers. These designs are being adopted all over the world, but London is being left behind.”

Danny Williams of Cyclists in the City said, "People are being asked to fling themselves on bikes through multi-lane junctions where cycling is an after-thought. The safety of cyclists and pedestrians should have just as much importance as the safety of motor users on London's streets."

Campaigners are calling for the Mayor and TfL to address the most dangerous junctions in the city as a matter of urgency, and to implement continental-style streets in London to make them as safe and inviting as they are in Holland.

Thanks to David Vallade for the poignant illustration above

Family, friends, local residents, politicians, campaigners and concerned Londoners gathered near the place on Tower Bridge Road where cyclist Ellie Carey was struck by a lorry on Friday 2 December 2011.

The crowd observed a minute's silence in memory of Ellie, the 22-year-old student, while speakers called for her death not to be in vain and for decision-makers to make reducing road danger a priority.

Placards held by mourners included 'Make our junction safer' and 'No more cyclist deaths', the former a reference to a two-year battle between locals and Transport for London to have a pedestrian crossing installed at the busy junction.

Ellie's father Allister and brother Peter had travelled from Guernsey to be present at the gathering.

London Assembly members Jenny Jones (Green) and Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat) took part too, while local councillor Mark Gettleson introduced the event and led the minute's silence.

Southwark MP Simon Hughes addressed the crowd, expressing the desire that Ellie's death wouldn't be in vain: "We've had far too many unnecessary cyclist deaths in London... many of us cycle often and we know London needs to be safer."

Mr Hughes urged all parties to work with the London Cycling Campaign to reduce road danger in this city, and said it was likely to be a key issue during next year's mayoral election:

"We can't have more years in this city where so many young people have their lives ended, not by what they do but by what other people do which impacts upon them."

An all-party motion (full text below) passed in the London Assembly on Wednesday 14 December 2011 has called for a review of every dangerous junction in Greater London.

What still hasn't emerged is a date for the review of Bow roundabout and the other Superhighways junctions promised by the Mayor on 18 October 2011.  

The debate called for far greater emphasis on the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, and for less importance to be given to 'smoothing the flow' (reducing journey times for motorists) which comes at the expense of the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. 

Val Shawcross, Labour Assembly Member, said the safety of cyclists and pedestrians must be put much higher on the agenda and not be undermined by designs that favour motor traffic.

Green member Jenny Jones criticised the Mayor and Transport for London for repeatedly claiming cycling casualties are falling in the capital when the evidence for this is questionable.

London Conservative Assembly Member Andrew Boff called Transport for London ‘opaque’ and called for data on collisions and cycle flows to be made available.

He also specified that London Cycling Campaign should be consulted “at the start of the design process” for roads and not once the designs are complete.  

Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon said new proposals for Bow roundabout and King’s Cross - two locations where cyclists have died this year - must be brought forward.

She said it's inadequate to simply erect warning signs (such as at Bow), and emphasised that all junctions where cyclists have died needed to be addressed and safety mirrors erected.

An amendment  to the motion from the Lib Dems was accepted but the proposed amendment from the Conservatives for new design guidance were rejected on the grounds that urgent action is required to remedy the failure of TfL to implement existing design standards.

Conservative assembly member Andrew Boff warned that the motion might send out a negative message to people wanting to cycle in London and that the drivers involved in recent fatalities could use the motion to deny responsibility for the crashes.

Val Shawcross replied that the Mayor cannot deliver a cycling revolution without providing the safety, facilities and space cyclists need.

This Assembly deeply regrets the deaths of cyclists on London's road network and wishes to express its condolences for the loss felt by their relatives and friends.

We are concerned that some cyclist deaths and injuries could have been avoided if the road network designs for the locations where these deaths and injuries occurred had been safer.

We therefore call on the Mayor and Transport for London to:

• Provide a comprehensive list of dangerous road junctions across London for cyclists, to include any where a cycling fatality has happened;
• Carry out a full review of each of these junctions, considering any proposals made by cycling and road safety groups on how to redesign these junctions to make them safer. These reviews should be publically available and include details on why any suggestions have been rejected.
• Secure an agreement with the Department for Transport to roll out Trixi mirrors at all major junctions across London, to help ensure cyclists are visible to drivers.
• Look into expanding cycle training across London Boroughs.      
• Bring forward proposals to improve cycle safety at Bow roundabout, King's Cross and the junction of Tower Bridge Road and Abbey Street where recent cyclist fatalities have occurred.

Respected transport journalist (and London Cycling Campaign board member) Christian Wolmar has reported finding serious flaws in widely published predictions that the proposed Westminster car parking charges will cost the capital 5000 jobs and £800 million in lost output.

The extravagant claims are being propagated by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), even though it acknowledges its report failed to carry out "a thorough investigation of the business and economic impacts of the new parking charges".

The report writers explain that they "have made some indicative estimates based on some rough-and-ready, yet not implausible, assumptions".

Wolmar writes on his blog: "In my language, that's called guessing."

Sections of the report have been reproduced unchallenged in the Evening Standard and The Daily Telegraph, though it's not currently available for download from the CEBR website.

Wolmar also points out that the authority of the figures is thrown further into doubt because they're based on an assumption that 20-25% of evening West End visitors arrive by car, which is double the known modal share for private car use in the West End.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research has a history of pro-motoring research with debatable conclusions: in 2007 it published a report (commissioned by Land Rover) that claimed Ken Livingstone's proposals to charge high-polluting vehicles a higher rate of congestion charge would actually increase pollution.

What's sad is that in this instance the questionable conclusions of this particular think tank have been allowed to obscure the fact there are areas of the West End that are currently clogged full of motor vehicles in the evenings and weekends.

Pedestrians in particular get a raw deal, with tens of thousands of people being crammed on to narrow pavements, while a relatively tiny number of motorists and taxis fill up the streets.

It's not unusual to see groups of people on foot spill on to the road - around Drury Lane or Bow Street for example - and then hear a car or taxi honk them out of the way.

When one or two people in a car are effectively forcing 10 or 20 people on foot to get out of their way, and squeezing many others into inadequate pavements, then there's something deeply inequitable about the allocation of street space.

There's so much more that could be done to make central London a safer and more pleasant place to walk and cycle, and many Londoners think it's logical that motorists should pay if they want to use large areas of public space to park their vehicles.

Motorists might also be interested to know that charging for on-street car parking can benefit them as well as other street users, because it reduces congestion and shortens journey times (see the video at the top of the page).

In an open letter to Transport for London, the boyfriend of the cyclist killed at King's Cross has called for Dutch-style cycle lanes to reduce road danger in the area.

Kenji Hirasawa (pictured above) said, "I would like the council to consider making the road safer and implementing changes such as providing cycle lanes like those used in the Netherlands..."

TfL has responded that putting potentially life-saving bike lanes through the junction would "cause considerable queues".

24-year-old fashion student Min Joo Lee (also known as 'Deep' Lee, pictured above) died when she was hit from behind by a lorry while riding through the King's Cross gyratory on 3 October 2011.

In 2006, Emma Foa, 56, died after her bike was in collision with a cement mixer lorry in nearby Camley Street, while cyclist Madeline Wright died in 2007 near King’s Cross Station after a collision with a lorry.

In an interview with the Camden New Journal, 29-year-old "heartbroken" Hirasawa spoke about his partner of three years Deep Lee: "She was always smiling and kind and generous to people."

He called for an "immediate solution", saying TfL and Camden Council should feel "ashamed" that a junction of this type existed in "one of the most developed and advanced cities in the world".

He described how TfL officials last week asked him if they could remove the flower-covered memorial bike, which has marked the place where Deep Lee died; he responded that they should "sort the junction out first".

The exchange took place at a special meeting at Camden Town Hall on Monday 5 December 2011 where TfL and council officials gave their reasons for not acting on recommendations from 2008 for improvements in safety at King's Cross.

Limited junction changes are planned in time for the Olympics, but according to TfL these are "predominantly for pedestrians".

Camden Cycling Campaign, the local LCC group, joined the call for cycle lanes to be included in the plans.

Speaking during a visit to King's Cross, Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Brian Paddick also endorsed bike lanes for the junctions, saying "It's better that we have to wait for five minutes in a car than have someone killed."

Long-term lobbying of Transport for London and local councils around roadworks taking account of cyclists is finally paying off.  

Recent intervention by our local groups in Southwark and Camden has made sure roadworks on busy cycle routes consider cyclists' needs.

Instead of the usual 'cyclist dismount' signs, the roadworks on Tooley Street next to London Bridge station (see above) provide a protected contraflow cycle lane heading east.

Motorists travelling in the other direction are warned by a large sign saying  ‘Narrow Lanes, do not overtake cyclists’.

Campaigns manager Tom Bogdanowicz said, "We've been sending photos of good-practice roadworks from other towns and cities to council officers.

"At long last councils are realising that consideration for cyclists is a real issue in these situations." 

Transport for London is the highway authority responsible for the measures, which were installed following discussion with Southwark Cyclists and the campaigns team.

The alternative would have been a long detour for cyclists around busy roads.

In Camden (see photo below) plastic bollards have been used to create a protected cycle lane along the Royal College Street bike route, while roadworks take place.

Camden Cycling Campaign worked with with the local council to get the measures installed.

In the Netherlands, highway authorities invariably provide facilities for cyclists when roadworks take place.

Bogdanowicz said, "A recent example we saw in Amsterdam involved the installation of a temporary cycling and walking bridge across a city-centre canal to divert cyclists around temporary works.

"The still-rare examples of consideration for cycle users in London need to become a regular part of roadworks planning in the capital."

We'll have a stand at the London Bike Show at ExCel again this year, from 12-15 January 2012, showing off our 2012 campaigns alongside the best in bike bling.

If you book in advance via the website using the code LCC1, you'll save £6 on the price of admission, but make sure you do it before 25 December 2011*

This year at the Show there'll be loads of opportunity to try out bikes and accessories, so whether you cycle to work every day or enjoy leisure rides at the weekend, there’s bound to be something for you or your family to get their hands on.

The show will feature many of the brands we've looked at in London Cyclist magazine in recent issues such as Brompton, Genesis, Ridgeback and Trek, as well as some we haven't like Willier, Whyte and Pegeretti.

There'll be the Cycle Stage, where experts share their knowledge to make sure you’re getting the most out of your cycling, and there's the first indoor bike polo tournament (where you can have a go too).

1 ticket = 4 shows

And remember your ticket gives you access to 4 shows for the price of 1:

1. London Bike Show
2. The Outdoors Show
3. The Active Travel Show
4. Tullett Prebon London Boat Show

To book, please visit www.thelondonbikeshow.co.uk and use the code LCC1 to get advance adult tickets for just £14.

*Offer valid until 25 Dec 2011; booking fee of £1.95 applies.

A vigil will take place for Ellie Carey at 6pm on Wednesday 14 December, with participants asked to meet at 5.45pm at Shortwave Cinema, Bermondsey Square, very close to the junction where the fatal crash took place.

The family of Eleanor 'Ellie' Carey, the 22-year-old student cyclist (pictured above) killed by a lorry in Tower Bridge Road, has spoken out against the lack of action to improve cyclist safety in Greater London.

Ellie's brother Peter told us, ""While we cannot change the past, the future is unwritten, and we hope the tragic deaths of 16 cyclists in London this year will result in action being taken in making improvements in safety for cyclists.

"Rather than just the promise of another 'review', action needs to be taken. And if Transport for London and the Mayor have ignored recommendations to improve the safety of junctions, they must explain why.

"It's extremely disappointing an opportunity to discuss the issue of cycle safety in the London Assembly was lost on Wednesday 7 December 2011 due to childish antics of supposedly pro-cycling Conservative assembly members."

Emma Atkinson, Ellie's sister-in-law, reacted angrily on Twitter to the walkout of Conservative assembly members, and last week gave her support to our campaign for safer streets for cyclists:

"Fully behind your campaign for safer roads in London as a grieving family member of this morning's tragedy #heartbroken"

Speaking to Ross Lydall of the Evening Standard, Ellie's father Allister Carey described the family's meeting with senior Transport for London official Daniel Moylan:

"I said to him: 'In your position as deputy chairman, I want you to see what the human agony is rather than just the mere statistics."

Ellie Carey was in her second year studying International Development at London Metropolitan University.

It's believed she was travelling to lectures in Moorgate when she was in a fatal collision with an articulated lorry on Friday 2 December at around 10.05am.

Her father said she had bikes at her family home in Guernsey and in London, and was a cautious cyclist.

photo Peter Frankland

Westfield Stratford came in for a lot of stick for the sheer awfulness of its bike lanes earlier this year, and it doesn't look like its latest solution will enhance its reputation.

Rather than embracing the principles of Go Dutch (equality, continuity, quality for bike facilities), the shopping centre had other ideas for the bike lanes adjoining its car park access roads.

Cyclists were expected to avoid the massive supports of several road signs, electrical junction boxes, and presumably each other too.

We're not convinced recent changes (above right) will have high-spending cycle shoppers flocking to this particular shopping centre.

Some wags have been wondering if they'll be installing traffic lights to handle any contraflow conflicts.

**SIGH**

A key London Assembly motion on reducing road danger at junctions, following recent cyclists’ deaths, was dropped on Wednesday 7 December 2011 when Conservatives walked out of a plenary session making the meeting inquorate.

LCC's Mike Cavenett said, "Today's events echo the Blackfriars walkout several months ago, which angered London cyclists so much.

"We're calling for immediate action to implement existing plans to make Bow safe, yet the Mayor of London and Conservative assembly members are conspicuously doing nothing to change this killer junction.

"A review has been promised but there's still no timetable for action."

Please join our campaign to email the Mayor to make Bow safe.

Liberal Democrat Assembly member Mike Tuffey said:

"Today's childish actions by Conservative Assembly Members have thwarted a key debate on cycle safety taking place.

"Their actions are an insult to every cyclist in London, as well as to the democratic process."

Green Party Assembly member Jenny Jones said: 

“The Tory walkout before we could take the cycling motion was perhaps partly based on embarrassment at the Mayor's poor safety record.

"He has consistently ignored cycling campaigners' advice on how to make junctions safe, leaving cyclists vulnerable to the faster traffic.

"This is playing with people's lives, not delivering good government for London.”

Labour and Green Party Assembly members proposed the motion, which called on the Mayor to provide a list of locations where cyclists were most at danger and to report on why proposals from stakeholders for improvements had been rejected.

A Liberal Democrat amendment added points about roadside safety mirrors, cycle training and action at key junctions.

The motion can be downloaded as item 11 on this page.

Three weeks after promising a review of cyclist safety at Bow roundabout Mayor Boris Johnson still hasn't set a timetable for it to report, despite families and campaigners calling for urgent action. 

BBC London Transport Editor Tom Edwards tweeted today:

"Tfl say no date yet for when it will publish the safety review of cycling superhighways at Bow roundabout where 2 cyclists have died."

The news comes on the day that Conservative assembly members walked out of a key debate on cyclist safety, prompted by the two recent fatalities at Bow roundabout.

London Assembly member John Biggs says the Mayor’s officials made a commitment to him to deliver the report on Bow over a week ago.

In addition to the Bow roundabout review, the Mayor has formally asked Transport for London to review junctions on the Cycle Superhighways, and at all planned major traffic schemes.

The London Cycling Campaign and family members of Brian Dorling, the cyclist killed at Bow roundabout on 24 October 2011, have called for immediate action.

LCC's Mike Cavenett said, "The Mayor has failed to get a grip of this situation, and cyclist lives are still at risk.

"We're urging all Londoners to email the mayor, calling on him to make Bow safe."

A detailed report prepared for Merton Cycling Campaign describes Transport for London's current Road Safety Audit procedures as "diseased" because they're incapable of identifying dangers, including those posed by one of Greater London's worst ever cycle facilties.

"A Review of London’s Road Safety Audit Procedures and the Cyclist with Reference to Martin Way" was written by retired architect and long-time Merton campaigner Hugh Morgan. 

The report was written after a three-year campaign by local campaigners, which involved a complaint to the Local Government Omsbudsman, finally convincing Merton Council to partially remove a road layout on Martin Way (B286), which had put cyclists in serious danger.

The cost to Merton taxpayers of fixing the flawed design was £500,000.

Local campaigners were shocked that the traffic-calming chicanes (see video above), installed by Merton Council in 2007, had passed a Transport for London 'Road Safety Audit'.

LCC's road danger expert Charlie Lloyd said, "The video shows how appalling these cycle 'facilities' were, needlessly pushing cyclists into the path of fast-moving motor traffic.

"When our local campaign group complained the council defended the design, saying that it had passed a 'safety audit' carried out by Transport for London.

"What became clear to everyone, except the council engineers, was that the safety audit process had failed."

The report produced for Merton Cycling Campaign says, "Road Safety Audit procedures used in London underemphasise the safety problems associated with cycling on the carriageway and tend to invite discrimination against cyclists." 

It's now clear that the audit process recommended by Transport for London isn't capable of competently assessing the risks of road layouts for cyclists.

The process appears to be flawed because it's not necessary for auditors to refer to any government or Transport for London guidance on designing roads that are safe for cyclists.

The Merton Cycling Campaign report's recommendations include:

• Transport for London must immediately revise its Safety Audit procedures
• Audit guidelines should include a checklist for cyclist safety issues
• Safety auditors should be informed when a design doesn't follow government standards.

As a result of the debacle on Martin Way, Merton Council has declared its intention to improve its procedures when implementing new road layouts.