Wednesday 27 April 2016

Thank You

Dear Friends,

Thank you

It has now been nine months without a cyclist being killed by a HGV - a stark contrast to the first half of 2015 which saw seven cyclists killed by lorries. This pause would not have happened without the increased focus on safety in response demands for safety improvements, and every supporter of this campaign played their part in making that happen.

We have shown that progress is possible and fatalities are not inevitable, but there is much more which needs to be done [1] - Stop Killing Cyclists have called on the Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill to urgently extend the London requirements for HGV mirrors nationally to protect cyclists all over the UK [2].

In London we now have several mayoral candidates and parties committed to expanding protected space for cycling, showing that many of our politicians believe in the need for safe cycling for all Londoners.

I won't be emailing again before the election, but a reminder that Stop Killing Cyclists' protest is this evening (Wednesday) in central London, the die-in is from 6pm (speeches from 5:30pm) - please attend if you can.

Thank you again for your support,


Fred


P.s. Thanks to everyone who contributed to our #SaveOurCyclists Twitter campaign, if you haven't there's still time to get involved - simply share your own messages using #SaveOurCyclists.

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[1] http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/nine-months.html
[2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/stopkillingcyclists/permalink/1710065762577662/
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Tuesday 26 April 2016

You helped keep cyclists safe this winter

Dear Friends,

Thank you

It has now been nine months without a cyclist being killed by a HGV - a stark contrast to the first half of 2015 which saw seven cyclists killed by lorries. This pause would not have happened without the increased focus on safety in response demands for safety improvements, and every supporter of this campaign played their part in making that happen.

We have shown that progress is possible and fatalities are not inevitable, but there is much more which needs to be done [1] - Stop Killing Cyclists have called on the Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill to urgently extend the London requirements for HGV mirrors nationally to protect cyclists all over the UK [2].

In London we now have four candidates supporting protected space for cycling: @CarolinePidgeon @SianBerry @SophieRunning and @SadiqKhan have committed to safe cycling and protected lanes in London. @ZacGoldsmith hasn't

Whoever the mayor is, the London Assembly is crucial to ensure cycling and road safety never slip down the agenda. Every vote counts for the London-wide Assembly Members (the orange voting form) - Please consider using your London-wide Assembly Member vote to support a party which champions cycling.

Finally, Stop Killing Cyclists' protest is on Wednesday in central London, the die-in is from 6pm (speeches from 5:30pm) - please attend if you can.

Thank you again for your support,


Fred

P.s. Thanks to everyone who has already contributed to our #SaveOurCyclists Twitter campaign, if you haven't there's still time to get involved! Simply share your own messages using #SaveOurCyclists.

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[1] http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/nine-months.html - this post contains (distressing) details of non-fatal collisions.
[2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/stopkillingcyclists/permalink/1710065762577662/


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Monday 25 April 2016

Nine months.

It has been nine months since a cyclist was killed by a motor vehicle in London, a halt which would not have seemed credible at this time last year.

This pause follows a string of needless deaths which inspired the campaign for lorry safety which we have all been part of. Inexplicably, it was legal to drive HGVs around London blindly until the rules were updated to require more extensive mirrors. Haulage companies have also made this a focus, with industry groups concerned that their vehicles might be banned from the centre.

But we have been lucky

In this time many cyclists have received serious injuries on our roads. https://cycling-intelligence.com/fatal-cycling-accidents-in-london/ gives details of some of the non-fatal collisions: 

first hit by one vehicle and then dragged under the wheels of a second
victim had leg amputated; left turning driver arrested
Witnesses reported hearing a "gut-wrenching scream" in the collision near the notorious Old Street roundabout

These were incidents which could easily have resulted in another death. It is only luck and the work of NHS trauma teams which prevented fatalities here.


More is needed to keep cyclists safe in London

It is important to recognise the progress which has been made to improve safety for people on bikes - progress which is in part thanks to the supporters of this campaign, the London Cycling Campaign and Stop Killing Cyclists.

However, this isn't the end of HGV deaths in London. 

Last year 7 people were killed by lorries - a toll which is totally unacceptable and in no way diminished because the overall toll is less than last year. There are no 'acceptable' deaths from our transport system so we need London to adopt the same approach as New York:

This status quo is unacceptable. The City of New York must no longer regard traffic crashes as mere "accidents," but rather as preventable incidents that can be systematically addressed. No level of fatality on city streets is inevitable or acceptable.

The future

We cannot allow complacency to creep back in to City Hall, or for HGV operators to relax their focus. A confidential reporting system such as CIRAS is needed to allow drivers and employees to report safety concerns without fearing for their jobs.

The NHS has done an excellent job of keeping cyclists alive, too little has been done to prevent collisions on our roads. If we go back to old ways we will see the numbers of road deaths go back up.

Now is the time to press home the need for a network of protected cycle lanes across all of London and a Vision Zero approach to safety on our streets.

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Sunday 24 April 2016

Make a difference to the London Assembly

While the mayoral election gets the attention, the role of the London Assembly is crucial in shaping how our city is run and it's also where your vote is most likely to get a result.

What can the London Assembly do?

London Assembly members pressured Boris to deliver on Cycle Superhighways, pushed for HGV safety improvements and held the authorities to account when things went wrong (such as mis-targetting of safe cycling by Operation Safeway). They have the power to amend the Mayor's budget if they vote with a two thirds majority.

They also question the mayor & key officials in detail - finding out what TfL is up to, teasing out the substance behind the announcements or getting the latest statistics. You may never have read about the Mayor's Question Time, but many/most of the articles about infrastructure or HGV safety will have been informed by answers to these questions.

In particular, this campaign has benefited from the work of Green Party and Liberal Democrat assembly members, especially Darren Johnson.

How to make your vote count for the London Assembly

If you want your vote to make a difference for London, in the London Assembly you have the chance to do that, even if you don't support one of the two most popular parties. This is because a portion of the members are chosen using proportional representation - the orange ballot paper.

The London-wide Assembly Members are elected from votes for different parties on the orange ballot papers. Details of the calculation can be found here, but for the smaller parties essentially it boils down to:

  • 5% - One Assembly Member
  • ~8% - Two Assembly Members
  • 11-12% - Three Assembly Members
The exact percentages vary slightly depending on how the other parties perform and parties getting less than 5% are not counted. For the larger parties the number of members are around 1 member per 4% of the vote.

You cast your vote by putting an 'X' by one of the parties, but as long as they win at least 5% of the vote your vote will help elect a representative to the London Assembly.

Your vote can make a difference

I hope you've found this helpful and if you've got a vote, please use it!

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Saturday 9 April 2016

Women's Equality and Cycling

Sophie Walker is the mayoral candidate for the Women's Equality Party. She is a diversity campaigner, cycling proponent and the third candidate to commit to the London Cycling Campaign's ambitious Sign for Cycling pledges (triple the number of protected cycle lanes in London, a mini-Holland scheme in every borough & an end to lorry danger).

Her vision is to make London the first city in the world where men and women are equal, including for transport. She believes safe cycling infrastructure is the key to allowing more women to enjoy the benefits of cycling:

Cycling in the UK is not equally accessible to all genders and the proportion of women who cycle is half that of men. Sophie Walker is committed to working towards a 50:50 modal share of female cycling in London.

We do not currently have details about whether they would support a rush hour HGV ban, the cycling budget and their plans for the congestion charge, but if we get more information we will publish that here.
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Tweets and Replies

Top #SaveOurCyclists tweets and replies:









Tweets to Sadiq

More than any other candidate, our supporters wanted to send personal messages to Sadiq:




The last word

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Thursday 7 April 2016

Who will keep London's cyclists safe?

Dear Friends,

Our next mayor could make or break cycling in London.

We need the next mayor to support the construction of high quality cycling infrastructure, not just completing all the planned Cycle Superhighways but building protected cycle lanes in all parts of London.

Many people have taken up cycling after hard won improvements bought in under Boris - even though half his schemes have not yet been completed. Protected cycle lanes are key to allowing more people to cycle in safety and it is clear there is huge demand these lanes.

"I’ll rip up London’s cycle superhighways if they don’t work"

 The candidates are split, with some talking against protected cycle lanes or suggesting they might withdraw support for the Cycle Superhighways [1].

#SaveOurCyclists

We need to highlight the demand for protected lanes and put pressure on the candidates to support them. Please join our new Twitter campaign:

1. Write tweets to candidates using the hashtag #SaveOurCyclists - Ask them to commit to protected cycle lanes, support a scheme you care about or highlight a good policy: @ZacGoldsmith, @SadiqKhan, @CarolinePidgeon, @sianberry

2. See what others are posting here for inspiration & re-tweeting!

3. Use or adapt our ready made tweets:

4. On the 27th April Stop Killing Cyclists are organising an air #PollutionProtest outside the Department for Transport in Westminster. They are demanding action to tackle motor vehicle emissions and increased funding for cycling across the UK - please join us if you can [2].

Thanks again for your support and please share this with any friends you think would be interested.

Kind regards,


Fred

@FredBikeLondon

P.s. If you are not on Twitter please email the candidates and copy us in!

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[1] http://saveourcyclists.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/who-will-give-us-safe-cycling.html
[2] https://www.facebook.com/events/1124784950872843/
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Wednesday 6 April 2016

Who will give us safe cycling?

Our next mayor could make or break cycling in London. There has been a mini boom in cycling after hard won improvements bought in under Boris, even though only half of the original Cycle Superhighways and a dozen 'safer junctions' are built.

Despite this, the impact of the schemes has been huge, with a big increase in cycling along the routes and no doubt those under construction will tell a similar story. It is clear there is a huge demand for protected cycling and we need the next mayor to enthusiastically back these projects, clear the backlog and expand protected cycling across London.

When we surveyed our supporters last year we found the important issues you wanted us to campaign on were:
  • Demand a programme to build protected cycle facilities at junctions and along main roads in every borough.  
  • Ban HGVs from the rush hour and make them deliver early in the morning or during the day.
While some of the mayoral candidates fully support these aims, some of the main contenders offer very limited support for the Cycle Superhighways programme and are reluctant to support protected space for cycling. All of the candidates support safer lorries but not all will commit to banning them from the rush hour.

Here is where the candidates stand:



 @ZacGoldsmith    @SadiqKhan    @CarolinePidgeon    @sianberry
Protected cycle facilities at junctions and along main roads ‘I’ll rip up London’s cycle superhighways if they don’t work’ Narrower cycle tracks and promises to 'make sure cars flow smoother', although his manifesto promises to build on the work of Ken and Boris... "I want to carry on the cycle superhighways – even the controversial bits – but I also want to look at outer London, because I think that there’s a real opportunity there to get more people out of their cars and on to bikes for those shorter trips." "I’d put new segregated cycling infrastructure top of the list for new investment plans. For me it’s the number one measure that would get a wider range of people cycling... we’re well overdue this kind of road space revolution in London!"
HGV Ban No - Update and adjust the current London Lorry Control Scheme No - Work... to reduce the number of large lorries... particularly at the busiest times. A rush hour ban to reduce congestion and keep cyclists safe. Sian would introduce a rush hour HGV ban.
TfL's cycling budget No details. Would increase, but no commitment. Would nearly double spending on cycling to 3% of Transport for London’s budget. Supports a substantial increase paid for by city-wide congestion charging.
Congestion charging No details in his manifesto. No change to the congestion charge. Increase the congestion charge to reduce the number of motor vehicles in the central London zone. Bring in a road-charging system to extend the congestion charge city-wide.
Notes Manifesto: “Pedicabs in the West End have become an urban menace, ripping off tourists and tripping up pedestrians”. Zac would expand cycle hire schemes. Sadiq would investigate the merits of car free weekends in central London. Caroline has signed up to the London Cycling Campaign's ambitous 'Sign for Cycling' pledges Sian has signed up to the London Cycling Campaign's ambitous 'Sign for Cycling' pledges

See also: Sophie Walker - Women's Equality Party
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Monday 4 April 2016

Green Party Manifesto released

After publishing my post about Caroline and Sian yesterday, we now have the Green Party manifesto - so here's an update on Sian Berry's policies:

Sian Berry

Sian Berry is a Green Party Councillor in Camden, previously worked as a roads and sustainable transport campaigner at the charity Campaign for Better Transport and cycles to work.

She has previously signed up to the LCC's 'Sign for Cycling' vision (currently the only other candidate backing this ambitious challenge is Caroline Pidgeon). Sign for Cycling is a commitment to:

  • Triple the number of miles of protected cycle lanes on London’s roads, 
  • Introduce a ‘Mini-Holland’ for every London borough and 
  • Action to end lorry danger. 

The Green Party transport manifesto begins:

 "Greens will prioritise investment in walking, cycling and public transport to help people out of car dependency. Our policies won’t create new traffic or make air pollution and congestion worse."

 The Green Party manifesto is a detailed document with many proposals to improve cycling and reduce car use. Of particular interest to this campaign, they are proposing to:

  • Increase funding for major cycling projects with a requirement for safe junctions and segregated space, so that Londoners of all ages can cycle safely. 
  • Introduce a rush hour HGV ban.
  • Bring in a city-wide road-charging system to extend the congestion charge and a 20mph default speed limit on all Transport for London roads.
There are also proposals about pedestrian/cycle bridges over the Thames in East London, car-free Sundays in the West End, expanding the Cycle Hire scheme and addressing the failure of the justice system to adequately prosecute driving offences which result in serious injury. 

The manifesto does not include a commitment to spend a certain percentage of Transport for London's budget on cycling, but she has previously discussed very significant increases in investment. 
Finally, the manifesto also highlights their commitment to working with campaigners to get the best for London:



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Saturday 2 April 2016

Caroline and Sian on bikes

In a follow up to my post about Zac and Sadiq, today I am writing about the mayoral candidates Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat) and Sian Berry (Green).

Both candidates have been vocal about their ambitions for cycling, have plendged serious investment and they are currently the only candidates to sign up to the LCC's Sign for Cycling vision.

Sign for Cycling includes three main pledges which align closely with the aims of this campaign:
  • Triple the number of miles of protected cycle lanes on London’s roads, to help people of all ages and abilities access the road network by bike. We need high-quality, protected space on main roads and at junctions to avoid forcing cyclists to mix with heavy or fast moving motor traffic. 
  • A ‘Mini-Holland’ for every London borough - ‘Mini-Holland’ schemes create cycle-friendly town-centres. They encourage people to make local journeys by bike or on foot, help regenerate communities, and bring more customers to local businesses. 
  • London’s next Mayor must act to end lorry danger. This must include upgrading the Safer Lorry Scheme and using planning powers over major construction projects so that only the safest lorries, are allowed onto London’s streets.
This establishes both candidates as frontrunners in terms of cycling ambition and policy, here are some of the details of their proposals.

Caroline Pidgeon

Caroline Pidgeon is a long standing member of the London Assembly and advocate of cycling and road safety. She is keen to make the point that improving London for cycling improves the environment for everyone and her policies are for the benefit of all Londoners. Key policies:
  • She is unashamedly pro cycling in her proposal for a central London lorry ban to reduce congestion and keep cyclists safe.
  • Increase the congestion charge to reduce the number of motor vehicles in the central London zone.
  • Nearly double spending on cycling to 3% of Transport for London’s budget by the end of her term in office to match the number of people cycling (and further increases if more people cycle).
  • Face the tough political decisions "I want to carry on the cycle superhighways – even the controversial bits – but I also want to look at outer London, because I think that there’s a real opportunity there to get more people out of their cars and on to bikes for those shorter trips."
She has appeared in a video interview with Chris Boardman, which is worth a listen if you have three and a half spare minutes.


Sian Berry

Sian Berry is a Green Party Councillor in Camden, previously worked as a roads and sustainable transport campaigner at the charity Campaign for Better Transport and cycles to work. 

We don't yet have details of the official Green Party policies for the election (we will publish when we do). Previously she responded to Stop Killing Cyclist's 10 by 2020 campaign and detailed her ambition for cycling:

Making cycling an easier and safer way to travel would make our city better in so many ways: reducing traffic and congestion, cutting the pollution that causes nearly 10,000 early deaths every year, reducing noise, allowing more space to be given to pedestrians, play and life on the streets, and helping citizens stay fit and healthy too.
  • Responding to a call for 10% of Transport for London's budget to be spent on cycling she said she would work towards this if elected, but recognised she would need to ensure bus and tube services didn’t suffer as a result. She suggested funds could be found by:
    • Cancelling the planned new motorway bridges and tunnels in East London.
    • Introducing a Workplace Parking Levy using existing powers, similar to her proposals in Camden. 
    • An overhaul of the congestion charge (see below).
  • She proposes replacing the Congestion Charge with a scheme covering all of London (not just the small central zone), with the funds raised used to provide sustainable transport options.
  • On physically protected cycle lanes she says "For me it’s the number one measure that would get a wider range of people cycling, and get current cyclists using their bikes for more journeys... If New York can do it, we’re well overdue this kind of road space revolution in London!". We agree.
  • She supported having two cyclists positions on the TfL board - one for inner and one for outer London - and reducing the number of business representatives.




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