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Hundreds of cyclists join ‘die-in’ outside TfL’s Palestra offices

London SE1 website team

Hundreds of people laid down in Blackfriars Road during Friday evening's rush hour to urge Transport for London to improve road safety for cyclists in the capital.

Hundreds of cyclists join ‘die-in’ outside TfL’s Palestra offices

The 'die-in' was organised in response to the recent deaths of six cyclists on London's roads during a two-week period.

The event began with a half-hour silent vigil after which participants were asked to lie down in the road with their bicycles.

During the rally which followed the 'die-in' a list of cyclists and pedestrians killed in traffic collisions on London roads in recent years was read out.

The roll-call – compiled by the RoadPeace charity – included victims of several SE1 collisions:

Hichame Bouadimi, killed in St George's Road in 2012
Ellie Carey, killed in Tower Bridge Road in 2011
David Poblet, killed in Tanner Street in 2011
Professor David Vilaseca, killed in Druid Street in 2010
Haris Ahmed, killed in Weston Street in 2010
Meryem Ozekman, killed at Elephant & Castle in 2009

At the end of the protest, organiser Donnachadh McCarthy met Transport for London's surface transport managing director Leon Daniels to hand over a list of demands, including a request for board-level representation for pedestrians and cyclists at TfL.

Andrew Gilligan, the Mayor of London's cycling commissioner, has responded to the 'die-in' on his City Hall blog.

McCarthy – a former Southwark Liberal Democrat councillor – has previously staged smaller-scale 'die-in' events to put pressure on Southwark Council to improve facilities for cyclists.

• Local Lib Dems are holding a Southwark Cycling Summit next month to which all local cyclists are invited.


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