“After 14 deaths and innumerable injuries on London's roads over the last year, London's cyclists have had enough.”
That’s the call from the organisers of a ‘die-in’ outside Transport for London’s headquarters this Friday. Over 2,000 demonstrators are expected to lie down outside the TfL offices, in a graphic protest to call for better cycle infrastructure in London.
Among their demands are:
- Amsterdam levels of money spent per person on cycling safety
- London boroughs to spend at least 10% of their transport budgets on cycling infrastructure
- A ban on any vehicles whose drivers cannot see adjacent road-users
- Make Oxford Street a pedestrian/cycling only street
- Cyclists to be allowed to turn left at red lights, “with top priority for pedestrians”
A similarly dramatic approach is credited with convincing the Netherlands to invest in cycle infrastructure in the 1970s, under the banner ‘Stop de Kindermoord’ (Stop the Child Murder).
The organisers are asking cyclists to turn up on Friday “wearing skull masks/death costumes, dress in black, put some fake blood on an old t-shirt. Bring placards calling for an end to cyclists deaths and for TfL to take the issue seriously.” The event isn’t being organised by a formal campaigning organisation, but nonetheless, TfL have already been in touch with the cyclist organisers to find out “how we can manage the process of handing our demands over to their Managing Director”.
Details of the event are:
- Location: 197 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8NJ (cycle.travel map)
- Date: Friday 29th November
- Time: 5pm vigil, 5.30pm-5.45pm die-in, 5.45pm-6.30pm rally & vigil
- Info: stopthekilling.org.uk, Facebook page
