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Planners can save cyclists’ lives
• THE report of the very sad deaths of two young cyclists makes me wonder why and if they had to occur (21 dead, so let’s act, March 16).
Indeed, the words of the eye-witness to the accident in Pentonville Road were telling: “This was an accident waiting to happen.”
There are two lanes of traffic in Pentonville Road in each direction and those going down the hill towards King’s Cross are diverted to the left for all traffic except buses and cyclists, which are allowed to continue straight on.
As the eye-witness pointed out, the prohibited traffic does not signal left, because that is the only route open to it. Result: straight-on bound cyclists in any position except perhaps the right side of the outer lane are imperilled from cars and lorries following their only permitted route.
It is not so much speed that is the problem. The fundamentals have not been properly thought through because, even if you had a 20mph limit enforced with cameras, the same thing would happen again. If you are a cyclist it doesn’t make much difference being run down by a lorry at 20mph as against 30mph.
What we want to avoid is the likelihood of this kind of collision occurring and that means a fundamental re-think. Whoever designed the current scheme utterly failed to consider the very obvious danger, which has now cost a valuable young life.
If MP Emily Thornberry’s reaction was correctly stated as calling for “a campaign to make lorry drivers more aware of cyclists” that is simplistic and neither a cogent nor useful contribution. On the facts as reported in this case, it was unlikely to have been any more the fault of the lorry driver than the poor cyclist.
I travel a good deal around London and see many places where obvious perils have apparently been overlooked by traffic planners.
Remember the dangerous cycle lane on Blackfriars Bridge? Only after a cyclist was killed did Transport for London (TfL) take note and have it removed. The bus driver involved was prosecuted, but the judge was also highly critical of TfL. Has anyone at TfL been held to account? I doubt it.
It is time the planners took responsibility for their traffic designs. If they had to, they would be less likely to implement schemes with inherent dangers and lives would be saved.
R LEWIS
Oakley Road, N1
• BORIS Johnson is right – we all need to take responsibility for keeping our bikes safe (‘Sharia law for bike thieves,’ says MP Boris, March 16).
Islington Council is supporting a free security-marking service provided through Finsbury Safer Neighborhoods team.
To take part, call at Finsbury Cycles, at 185 Seven Sisters Road, on Wednesdays from 6-7pm. We’re already seeing results from the initiative. Last year several bicycles were successfully returned to their owners.
KEVIN O’LEARY
Director, Environment and Regeneration
Islington Council
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