A week ago, a young French woman Philippine De Gerin-Ricard was killed by a lorry whilst cycling on “Cycle Superhighway 2″ in East London, tragically becoming the first fatality of the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme.
To mark their respects an estimated 1,500 concerned citizens rode bikes of all shapes and sizes on a London Cycling Campaign protest event yesterday, demanding that Mayor Boris Johnson provides dedicated space for people riding bikes in London.
This was the first protest ride I’ve even been on.
Why?
Well, like bike blogger Mark Ames, I believe the time has come for deeds instead of words and token gestures from the Mayor.
As the (very real) cycling revolution gathers pace in the capital, an ever-increasing number of bikes are battling for space on the roads amongst lorries, cars, motorbikes, buses and taxis.
The mother of Ms De Gerin-Ricard spoke out in a heart-breaking interview earlier this week, calling for action to prevent further deaths:
“The fact that there were road works meant that it was suicidal and what I don’t understand is how they can put vehicles and bicycles so close together at this spot. It is ridiculous. In situations like this people always say they will do something – we will do something. I would like to see a deadline so things change so no other family goes through what I am going through. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone – not even my very worst enemy.”
Johnson’s “Cycle Superwhighways”, which usually amount to little more than some blue paint on the road, have been repeatedly criticised for their fatally-flawed design since their inception. Speaking about Cycle Superhighway 2 back in 2010, London Cycling Campaign CEO Dr Ashok Sinha said; “We warned TfL in the starkest terms of the dangers of left-turning vehicles, high traffic volumes and speeds, and the absence of provision for cyclists.”
TFL themselves acknowledge that “the health of every person in London is negatively impacted by motorised road traffic”, but how many deaths will it take before London’s roads are rebuilt to create space for the ever-growing number of bikes on them?
London needs #space4cyclists, sooner rather than later. Of course, a major overhaul of London’s road infrastructure is not going to happen overnight, but by joining future protest rides, I think we can accelerate the necessary changes.
What would a 10,000 strong protest ride look like?
Let’s find out — by making it happen.
