Make cycling safe: enough is enough

Caroline Pidgeon wrote this article in the 28th October 2011 edition of Lib Dem News:

Min Joo Lee is probably not a name you will recognise. However the death of this 24-year Korean fashion student could well be starting a revolution in cycling in London and possibly further afield.

Incredibly she is the 13th person to die on London’s roads this year. In 2010 there were “just” 10 deaths. When this year’s death toll for cyclists already surpasses the figure for the last year, we should all be very worried.

However, there is a further reason why Min Joo Lee’s death near to King’s Cross might turn out to be so significant. Her death is incredibly the third to take place at the same junction in five years.

In 2006, Emma Foa, 56, died after her bike was in collision with a cement mixer lorry at the same junction. And cyclist Madeline Wright died in 2007 near King’s Cross Station after a collision with a lorry.

When a single junction has such an accident level many cyclists are now quite rightly saying that enough is enough.

So what can be done to reduce these deaths?

Well for a start we need to recognise that the primary cause of cycle fatalities is lorries and HGVs colliding with cyclists, often when they are turning left at junctions. Sir Alan Beith MP has quite rightly taken this issue up in Parliament and his Private Members Bill which would ensure that equipment is fitted to heavy goods vehicles to help eliminate driver blind spots in new lorries should be supported. Moreover this is also an issue where almost certainly European standards are needed as well.

However there are simple and effective measures that could be taken almost straight away, without having to wait for new legislation. One glimmer of progress is the greater training being given to lorry drivers in London to ensure they are more aware of cyclists. This training really does need to be rolled out very quickly.

Another area that I am strongly pushing for action over is the need to ensure more junctions have ‘trixi mirrors’. These mirrors are actually widespread in Germany and Switzerland and are an effective way of reducing the blindspots that many large vehicles have. Yet they can only be installed at present at any junction with the specific permission of the Secretary of State. A good dose of devolution in this area would make a lot of sense.

There is one further area where cyclists are rightly demanding action. Too many road schemes are based on first and foremost serving the needs of motor vehicles. In London and elsewhere we still have transport engineers that “don’t get” cycling and think the needs of pedestrians hardly matter as well.

Of course we need to serve the needs of different forms of transport. In any urban areas, for example, we want our buses to travel at reasonable speed and for businesses to not face gridlock. However we can meet these objectives and ensure our roads are safer for cyclists too. For example more 20 mph speed limits and a reduction in one way systems and gyratories are sensible changes that will make a huge difference for cyclists (and often pedestrians as well) while hardly inconveniencing other road users.

Lib Dems have a good record on cycle safety issues as well as supporting cycling in general. At Westminster Alan Beith MP, Julian Huppert MP and of course Norman Baker MP especially stand out for praise.

However the revolution that might now take place needs the support of many more people. Whether you are an MEP, MP, councillor or local activist there is also certainly something you can do. Let’s make sure that we make all of our roads safer for everyone.

Read more about the cycling issues Caroline has raised with the Mayor in the London Assembly.

Also you can read Lib Dem blogger Layla Moran's article on cycling, which backs Caroline's stance on these issues.