Around 150 cyclists and a smaller number of pedestrians demonstrated at Kings Cross in the evening rush hour calling for an end to the killing of cyclists on city roads. London, UK. 09/01/2011
The protest was organised by a new campaign group, Bikes Alive, which wants changes in policy by Transport In London, because too many cyclists are being killed on our streets.
They wanted to take some more definite direct action than previous protests that were polite and symbolic and decided to try to block one of London's most public and visited junctions, at Kings Cross.
Bikes Alive argue that it is time to re-balance road usage to prioritise people over machines - which will mean slowing down traffic in the city in various ways. In particular they call for changes at major road junctions with longer gaps between different phases that would allow both pedestrians and cyclists to clear junctions before traffic from other directions dashes across. They want more to be done to discourage journeys by private car inside London.
Kings Cross was chosen as one of the more dangerous junctions in London for cyclists and pedestrians, with one-way systems that are confusing and often difficult for cyclists.
I arrived early for the protest, as a group of friends of cyclist Deep Lee (Min Joo Lee) , a 24-year old student who was killed riding her bike there on 3 Oct 2011 came to put fresh flowers on the 'ghost bicycle' which is chained to a lamp post at the centre of the junction.
Gradually cyclists began to arrive for the protest, waiting with their bikes on the wide pavement in front of Kings Cross, along with a dozen or so police officers on bikes and a few others. Among them were Bikes Alive spokesman Albert Beale, who had said that this protest "is the first step in a campaign to stop – by whatever nonviolent means needed – the completely unnecessary level of deaths, injuries and fear inflicted by motorists on the more vulnerable." Green Party mayoral candidate Jenny Jones who took part in the protest stated "London’s roads must be fixed urgently if we are to make them safe for cyclists and all other road users. This is the Mayor’s responsibility, and I hope that if we make a statement through peaceful, direct action he will start to listen." Also present was Tamsin Omond of Climate Rush, who have organised several cycle protests, including one last year against London's terrible air quality with briefly blocked a junction on the Euston Road a little to the west of tonight's protest.
The protest was slow to start, with everyone reluctant to take charge, but eventually people took to the road and began to cycle as a slow mass of around 150 cycles with perhaps 50 more on foot on the roads around the junction, turning up York Road, then going across to the Caledonian Road and down and around the one-way system to return to the Kings Cross junction. Arriving there the group dismounted and blocked the box junction for a few minutes until police came and said they must move.
They then made a few more circuits along a short section of the Euston Road in front of Kings Cross, then making a 'U' turn and going back east along the road before again going around the one-way system. By the time they were on their second or third circuit I felt I had seen enough and left.
Although the protest had caused some hold-ups for traffic, there were still buses going along the Euston Rd and I was able to take one to the station.
Someone had altered this
Someone had altered this title by inserting the word 'accidental' which gave the impression that Bikes Alive would be quite happy if the killings were deliberate. But I think the use of the word accident in this context in any case gives the wrong impression. Accidents don't just happen, they are caused, and as Jenny Jones makes clear, London's roads need urgent fixing to make them safer.