Donnachadh McCarthy writes…

When they start insulting us - you know we are beginning to win.

I was really impressed with the respectful and dignified manner in which Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at Transport for London responded to our Mass Die-In last night and had the courtesy to personally receive our list of demands.

He agreed to meet with a deputation from the protesters to discuss and listen to our demands.

Meanwhile instead of attending last night’s vigil, Boris Johnson’s £57,000 per year, 3 day week Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan was sadly typing out a hateful poison pen-letter about the protesters.

If Andrew Gilligan had attended last night’s vigil himself instead of spending his time composing inflammatory attacks, then maybe he would have witnessed a moving, heartfelt plea from ordinary Londoners and would not have shamefully descended into name-calling, labelling  the amazing, dignified protesters “the folk in the skull masks”.

Banning HGVs that cannot see other road users does not mean banning all trucks, as Nazan Fennell so eloquently said last night. It simply means passing urgent regulations that requires all of them to be retro-fitted with existing safety technology.

Andrew Gilligan said cycling in London is becoming a dialogue of the deaf. Maybe, Andrew, if you had kindly come to the demo and listened to the victims and grassroots campaigners, you might have helped restore some hearing to the dialogue?

We know you genuinely want a better cycle network in London.

Leon Daniels says he is willing to meet and have a constructive discussion - we would like one with you also Andrew, but lets leave the name calling out of the debate. The victims of TfL and the London Boroughs do not deserve this to become a slanging match.

Ref. Talk London: “53 per cent of cyclists jump red lights? Cycling in London is becoming a dialogue of the deaf - by Andrew Gilligan“