Wednesday 27 November 2013

Friday

Dear friends,

This Friday, over 2,000 cyclists, drivers and pedestrians will lie down on Blackfriars Road in front of Transport for London's HQ for what will be London's largest ever Mass Cycle Die-In. [1]

A quick glance at the newspapers this week will show you that the MET police, City Hall and political parties are starting to take notice. [2] But to achieve the real change we want to see, we need to keep up the pressure.

By gathering in our masses for peaceful protest, we have a chance to clearly reveal the problem we face: the deaths of those who cycle. It gives us a chance to say 'there is an alternative to this'. This action will help to send a powerful message not just to Boris, but to TfL, Borough councils, and to all Londoners.  The more people that are there, the bigger it will be. The bigger it is, the harder it will be to ignore. I'm going to be there. Will you join me?

Friday, from 5pm, TfL's HQ at The Palestra Building, 197 Blackfriars Road (opposite Southwark Tube Station). Here is all the information you need:
Join the event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/568751353179586/?fref=ts
Website:
 www.stopthekilling.org.uk
Use the hashtag: #TfLDieIn

The Dutch didn't just wake up one day with the cycle infrastructure they now have. They organised. They laid down on their streets in peaceful protest. They changed the way that their politicians think [3]. We can do that too.

Look forward to seeing many of you there.

Cycle safe,

Rhiannon

P.S.
The Mass Cycle Die-In is organised by un-affiliated grassroot cyclists who feel the recent tragedies mean that radical action now has to happen quickly to make London's roads safer for all Londoners. This is a peaceful protest.

NOTES:
[1] From 5:00pm, thousands will gather outside TfL Headquarters for a vigil in memory of those cyclists who have died. At 5:30pm, we will lie down on Blackfriars Road in front of TfL's HQ at The Palestra Building, 197 Blackfriars Road (opposite Southwark Tube Station).
[2] Of note, City Hall are hosting a Summit on CS2 tomorrow night: http://cityhalllabour.org/cycling-superhighway-2-safety-summit/ It is open to the public, and Andrew Gilligan will be attending. I'm going along, and have booked extra places - if you want to come along, hit reply to let me know and I'll add you to the Save Our Cyclists list of attendees. Exciting!
[3] Bicycle Dutch, How the Dutch got their cycling infrastructure, http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/how-the-dutch-got-their-cycling-infrastructure/

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