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Third cyclist killed on London's roads this week following collision with tipper truck

Stop Killing Cyclists to protest at the Treasury on Saturday

A man in his early 30s, who has now been named as Ben Wales from Erith in Kent, has died following a collision with a lorry in east London's Docklands on Thursday. It is the third time a London cyclist has been killed this week following two fatalities on Monday.

The London Evening Standard reports that the incident took place shortly before 1.30pm on Thursday when a tipper truck from Orpington-based Primagrange turned left onto North Woolwich Road, near Silvertown West DLR station.

The victim, wearing a helmet and high-vis vest, is reported to have been dragged at least 20 yards beneath the vehicle’s wheels before the driver was alerted by oncoming motorists.

A bus driver pulled up and attempted to save the man. Paramedics then arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The lorry driver stopped at the scene and has not been arrested.

Mayor announces plans to ban 35,000 of the most dangerous HGVs from London’s roads

Anita Szucs was cycling home from a late shift at a warehouse in Edmonton at around 1.45am on Monday when she was hit and killed by a small white car which failed to stop at the scene. Two arrests have been made.

At around 9am the same day, Karla Roman was knocked down by a coach on CS2 in Whitechapel and later died in hospital.

Campaign group Stop Killing Cyclists is to stage a protest and ‘die-in’ outside the Treasury on Horseguards Parade on Saturday.

Organiser Caspar Hughes said: “The same problems have been repeated for years and although the mayor has increased spending it’s still nowhere near enough. Three people have been killed in London have taken it up to twelve nationally this year. One fatality is too many.”

Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives on London’s roads this week. Any death or serious injury on our roads is one too many, and our priority is to eradicate them.

"We’re investing in safer cycle lanes and junctions, working with London boroughs to introduce more 20mph limits, looking to remove the most dangerous Heavy Goods Vehicles from the Capital’s roads by 2020 and continuing our road safety education and enforcement programmes.”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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17 comments

Avatar
Shades | 6 years ago
1 like

Cyclist killed in London; another statistic and everyone moves on [normalisation of deviance]

Cyclist hits pedestrian; review of dangerous cycling laws, ministerial interest, campaigns, Daily Mail style press coverage etc [new catastrophic risk, needs addressing now, panic!].

If roads were a business or airline (or something similar), they'd have been shut down ages ago pending safety improvements.

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embattle | 7 years ago
0 likes

RIP

I notice a lack of cyclist responsabilities in the above list, although this is nothing new.

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to embattle | 6 years ago
0 likes

embattle wrote:

RIP

I notice a lack of cyclist responsabilities in the above list, although this is nothing new.

What great program of cyclist responsibility do you imagine is going to significantly reduce the death rates?  Be specific.  And provide evidence for the idea.  Thanks.

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Freddy56 | 7 years ago
1 like

Rip

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WillRod | 7 years ago
3 likes

Why would criminals shoot or stab people? Just run them over with a lorry and you will get away with it.

The roads are like the Wild West! No authority in control and innocents being killed as a result. There are too many inattentive drivers, too many "minor offences" being ignored such as red light jumping and mobile phone use, which leads to people become desensitised to bigger offences and near misses. Lorries are getting bigger, heavier and many don't slow down for temporary speed limits, instead weaving between traffic to try and keep at their speed limiter. 

Hopefully the authorities will be forced into restricting these tipper trucks in London, especially because the impenetrable armour of high-viz and helmet seems to be a red herring when their is an HGV driver thinking IDGAF.

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atgni | 7 years ago
2 likes

Shoplifter dies falling on bottles stuffed inside clothes = security guard arrested.
Cyclist dies under someone elses wheels = no one arrested.
Really!

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themartincox | 7 years ago
2 likes

The lorry driver stopped at the scene and has not been arrested.

why not? surely it should be an automatic thing?

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the little onion | 7 years ago
3 likes

Ban tipper trucks immediately during peak hours. And stop paying them by the load rather than on fixed rates - it only incentivises risky driving and rule-breaking. 

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Ush | 7 years ago
1 like

Time for effective road safety measures:  decrease the number of vehicles on the road and make them incapable of speeds above 10mph if they are large/heavy.  The helmet and bikelane nonsense has surely been demonstrated to be a red-herring by this stage?

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emishi55 replied to Ush | 7 years ago
1 like

Ush wrote:

 

 

• decrease the number of vehicles on the road  - agree - this is absolutely essential

make them incapable of speeds above 10mph if they are large/heavy - this too - but more difficult. Training, awareness and monitoring of all HGV drivers particularly refuse collection vehicles and skip lorries - the latter all too often driven by delinquents who cannot manoeuvre them without trashing street furniture.

9mph in residential zones for all motor vehicles. 

• The helmet and bikelane nonsense has surely been demonstrated to be a red-herring by this stage?

 Helmets - I agree. Does liitle to ensure survival in a major collision - designed to avoid injury only after impact from a fall (personal choice - I've never yet worn one)-

Major impact on detrerring cycling. Suits the motor lobby  looking for a suiatbly slimy way of reducing bikes on the road

bikelane nonsense - Disagree here. Segregated bike lanes have more than proved their worth when it comes to increasing cycling - by increasing both perceived and actual safety.

The only issue is with expanding them width-wise at a given point in the future - though perhaps not really a negative if they achieve the intended aim (?). Costs of doing nothing far outweigh the costs of provision for cycling.

Light segragation can be effective (when supported by other measures such as car parking (onward facing = so as to avoid 'dooring')) and allow for simple and economcal expansion as motor users on these routes increasingly take on the pariah status of those who used to smoke in restaurants or other crowded spaces.

The only other issue - and the crux - is to establish a network of cycle routes - usable by all abilities.

A mixture of cycle lanes (segregated) on main routes and restrictions on through access on all minor roads. 

Easily achieveable.

But only if we re willing to confront those who's values and arguments 'achieved victory' for the likes of Brexit and Trump.   

 

 

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brooksby | 7 years ago
1 like

Quote:

... a tipper truck from Orpington-based Primagrange turned left onto North Woolwich Road, near Silvertown West DLR station

On the face of it, it sounds like that video/ad that was doing the rounds last year about cycling safety and not undertaking. The one where everyone pointed out that the truck on the ad had actually left-hooked the cyclist... 

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flathunt | 7 years ago
0 likes

Edit: Unhelpful speculation.

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burtthebike | 7 years ago
6 likes

Stop Killing Cyclists, thanks for your protest.  I'd be there if I could but I'll be with you in spirit.

This has to stop.

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SingleSpeed | 7 years ago
6 likes

How do you drive over 60feet with a body under your lorry and not get arrested?

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
4 likes

Horrific. War zones statistically are safer for Brits than London is for cycling so far this year. 

 

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hsiaolc | 7 years ago
3 likes

Another sad day. Sad week. 

I don't know why cyclist life is not being taking seriously.  

Government should be sued for not providne proper secure infrastructure for cyclists. 

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Mungecrundle | 7 years ago
7 likes

This is terrible news. My heartfelt condolences to friends, family, colleagues and others affected.

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