Two cyclists injured in Hackney days after local paper launches cycle safety campaign

Two female cyclists have been injured in collisions with large vehicles on the streets of the London Borough of Hackney within the past 24 hours. The news comes just days after a local newspaper launched a campaign to make the borough’s streets safer for cyclists in the wake of the death of Daniel Cox earlier this month.

The 28-year-old was the third cyclist to die in the borough within the past 12 months, the others being Shivon Watson, also 28, who was killed last March after she became trapped between a tipper truck and railings, and Arina Romanova, 24, who died at the Royal London Hospital two weeks after being involved in a collision with a black cab.

While the two latest casualties are reported not to be suffering from life-threatening injuries, the incidents do highlight the dangers that cyclists continue to face not only in Hackney but elsewhere in the capital on a daily basis.

Yesterday evening, a female cyclist was involved in a collision at around 6.30pm with a double decker bus at the junction of Graham Road with Dalston Lane as she wheeled her bike across the road, according to eyewitnesses. She was treated in Homerton hospital and was said to be conscious, breathing and in a stable condition this morning.

The second incident, also involving a woman reported to be in her 30s, took place on City Road at around 8.50am this morning when she was involved in a collision with an HGV. She is being treated at the Royal London Hospital for leg injuries, with the Hackney Gazette reporting that the lorry's wheels went over her feet.

The Hackney Gazette’s Hackney Cycle Safe campaign, launched last week, has received the backing of the borough’s mayor, Jules Pipe, who told the newspaper: “In recent years, Hackney Council has gone to great efforts to improve safety for cyclists, including free cycle training to people living, working or studying in the borough.

“We also host a local safety working group, where the council and its partners meet up to discuss ways of improving cyclist and pedestrian safety around heavy goods vehicles. As a council, we support any additional efforts to try and create a safer environment for cyclists in Hackney.”

The campaign has also been endorsed by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, a resident of nearby Islington, who said: “Last year 10 cyclists were killed in the capital and TfL [Transport for London] is doing its utmost to reduce that number.

“I hope everyone using the roads in Hackney will take time to consider and follow the three point pledge highlighted on these pages. My team will be in touch with the Gazette to see how we might assist them with their worthy campaign.”

The initiative, which the newspaper designed with the help of the London Cycling Campaign is built around three ‘pedal pledges’ designed to “motorists, lorry drivers and cyclists in a common goal,” as follows:

Cyclists

• Position yourself correctly and safely in the road
• Make sure other drivers can see you and what you are planning to do at all times
• Get as much training as you can

Motorists

• Do not let yourself be distracted (by phones, SatNavs, stress)
• Always be aware of where cyclists could be
• Go slow

Lorry drivers

• Check mirrors and check again
• Use left hand indicators
• Install the best equipment to help you detect cyclists

You can sign up to support the campaign on a dedicated page on the newspaper’s website.