A London-based campaign group has staged a ‘die in’ protest in memory of a cyclist who was killed after a collision with a HGV.
‘Stop Killing Cyclists’ organised the vigil for Lucia Ciccioli, who was hit by a lorry as she cycled along Lavender Hill in Battersea on the morning of 24 October.
The protest took place on 31 October outside Lavender Hill Police Station and was attended by scores of cyclists.
Speakers addressed the crowd before staging what is known as a ‘die in’, which involves protestors lying down on the street as if they had been knocked off their bicycle. Candles were lit and a ‘ghost bike’ placed at the scene.
Stop Killing Cyclists was set up after six cyclists were killed in London in November 2013, to carry out ‘direct action in protest against traffic violence’.
The group has organised a series of die-ins, the most high-profile of which took place outside of the Department for Transport in April 2016.
It is calling on London mayor Sadiq Khan to introduce with immediate effect a complete ban on poor visibility HGVs and a compulsory change to ‘zero blind spot’ HGV cabs, along with rush hour restrictions for all HGVs.
The group points to figures which show that since January 2009, 91 cyclists aged over 16-years have been killed on roads in Greater London. 35 of these were women, 29 of whom were killed in collisions involving HGVs. The group also says that in 2016 to date, 13 pedestrians have been killed in collisions involving HGVs.
Caspar Hughes, Stop Killing Cyclists, said: “[This] tragedy once again highlights the awful nature of allowing HGVs with poor all round visibility on the streets.
“These needless deaths are avoidable if the haulage industry prioritised health and safety in public places. Stop Killing Cyclists will continue to demand that London and the UK’s streets are fit for purpose and safe for people by prioritising active transport.”
Photo: Stop Killing Cyclists (@StopKillingCycl) via Twitter.
04 November 2016