Press Release - Double Victory for Cycling Safety Campaigners

press release header

 

Double Victory for Cycling Safety Campaigners

  • Entire Route of New Cycling Superhighway CS5 to be 20 mph Zone.
  • Cycling Commissioner Agrees to Survey all 33 Boroughs’ Cycling Safety Performance Annually

Following negotiations with Stop Killing Cyclists, Transport for London and London’s Cycling Commissioner agreed this month to introduce a 20mph Zone along the entire length of the new Mayoral Cycling Superhighway CS5 from Victoria to New Cross Gate in South London, via the Oval. Currently almost the entire route has a 30mph speed limit.

Co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy said,

“Reducing the speed of traffic from 30 to 20mph reduces deaths and serious injuries by up to 50%. We are delighted that TfL have agreed to our request to make this entire new major cycling route a 20mph zone, making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.”

He added,

“This is an initial modest step towards our goal for a pan-London 20 mph zone and a safer London for all.”

In a second agreement, TfL agreed to carry out an annual survey of the cycling performance of London’s 33 boroughs.

Stop Killing Cyclists have been pressing for such a survey in order to expose boroughs that are making their streets more dangerous for cyclists and those that are taking positive measures to make them safer.

Earlier this month Stop Killing Cyclists released a report which revealed that 24 boroughs had not built a single metre of segregated cycle lanes since the last elections in 2010, and 13 boroughs have never built a single metre of segregated cycle-lane.

Stop Killing Cyclists Co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy said,

“We welcome TfL’s commitment to carry out an annual survey of the Boroughs’ cycling safety performance. It will shine a powerful light of accountability on those town halls whose transport departments are stuck in a lethal 1950s’ motorised time-warp and refuse to protect their residents who cycle. It will reward those who invest in “Go Dutch” standard segregated cycle lanes so that everybody from young kids to pensioners can travel safely.”

RSVP: [email protected] or 07947 884299

End.

Note to editors:

1. Stop Killing Cyclists is the direct action protest group set up after the recent spate of cyclist killings in London. They arranged the mass Die-In at TfL HQ where 1,500 cyclists lay down in the road in protest at lack of safety investment in London.

2. The London boroughs are responsible for 95% of London’s roads, whereas the London Mayor and TfL control the remaining 5% i.e. the very large arterial routes.

3. Details of each borough’s performance in our recent report are available on our website www.stopkillingcyclists.org or by clicking: WALL OF DEATH - FOI QUESTIONS AND REPLIES.

Children and families ‘Pedal on Parliament’ in their thousands

Thousands protest at Pedal on Parliament (photo by Chris Hill).
Thousands protest at Pedal on Parliament (photo by Chris Hill).

On Saturday, people by their thousands took to the streets of Edinburgh to protest road danger and demand that their elected representatives make substantial changes to the transport infrastructure and laws.

This year’s event came just weeks after the driver of a 55 foot articulated lorry was acquitted of causing the death of Andrew McNicoll as he cycled to work along Lanark Road in January 2012.

This is the third year for the Pedal on Parliament protest - each attracting more people than the previous one. Estimates are that about 4500 people protested this year - many of whom were families: FAMILIES TO THE FORE FOR THE THIRD PEDAL ON PARLIAMENT.

CHILDREN TELL POLITICIANS WHAT THEY WANT

Children address the protesters and politicians at PoP 2014 (photo by Chris Hill).
Children address the protesters and politicians at PoP 2014 (photo by Chris Hill).

One speaker at the protest in front of Holyrood was 8 year old Daniel Brennan who told the crowd:

“I’d love to be able to go for a bike ride without going in the car to cycle with my family. It would be great if Scotland was like Amsterdam where everyone can cycle with their friends.”

7 year old Katharine Dorman demanded:

“Let’s make Scotland a cycle friendly country!”

And 11 year old Kyle Thomas said:

“I believe cycling is the future for Scotland… Cycling down the high street I thought to myself that this is how cycling should be, there wasn’t a single car on the road but lots of cyclists as it should be.”

NO LONGER ABLE TO BE IGNORED

Transport Minister Keith Brown at Pop 2014 (photo by Chris Hill).
Transport Minister Keith Brown at Pop 2014 (photo by Chris Hill).

The growing visibility meant that government could no longer ignore the voices being raised: Transport Minister Keith Brown attended the protest to defend his government’s policies.

He announced £4.5 million over 2 years for promoting cycling training.

Not surprisingly, the organisers were quick to point out that:

…educating children to cycle on the road is not the best use of money, compared with starting to invest in a cycling network where they can actually be safe, and more importantly feel safe, as they get around on two wheels.

There’s no training in the world that will guarantee a child’s safety around HGVs and fast-moving cars – and as long as children need to mix in traffic to ride their bikes, then parents will be reluctant to give them the freedom to ride.

Thankfully, that message is being heard and taken on board by a growing number of politicians - the organisers are continuously updating their list of supportive MSPs and quotes: POLITICAL RESPONSES.

Keith Brown, the Transport Minister, addressed the crowd at PoP and said in part:

“We are making progress on infrastructure with more than £32 million spent on infrastructure… It will take time for Scotland to become as safe as Amsterdam. We have to change driver behaviour as well… we need to have the same attitudes as Scandinavian countries aiming towards zero deaths.”

MEDIA COVERAGE

The protest was front page news and received wide coverage in the media - a full list is being updated by the PoP organisers: MEDIA COVERAGE.

The BBC gave it headline coverage on their TV broadcast and news website: Thousands take part in Pedal on Parliament event in Edinburgh.

The organisers continue to post updates using their Twitter account: @PoPScotland. Their website is at PEDALONPARLIAMENT.ORG

WRITE TO YOUR POLITICIANS

Lynne marches in Pedal on Parliament 2014.
Lynne marches with councillors and MSPs in Pedal on Parliament 2014.

A leading campaigner for reducing road danger is the step-mum, Lynne, and father, Ian, of Andrew McNicoll - who was killed in a collision with a 55ft long articulated lorry in Edinburgh as he commuted to work on his bicycle.

The driver of the lorry was recently acquitted of causing his death: Man cleared over death of cyclist Andrew McNicoll.

Lynne wrote on her blog (HERE) following the PoP 2014 protest:

“it was so good to see politicians in some numbers with us: MSP Alison Johnstone, Cllr Cameron Rose, Transport Minister Keith Brown, Cllr Andrew Burns.

I asked the crowd and I ask you too now – if your politician was there, thank them and if they weren’t there please do write to them and tell them what we want:

No more cyclist deaths;

Better infrastructure;

Presumed liability;

for anyone of any age to cycle safely.

A time-lapse photo of people cycling to the protest is HERE.

Pedal on Parliament 2014 ~ Scotland

Third Pedal on Parliament announced for Saturday 26th April 2014

People gather on the Meadows for start of PoP 2013 (photo by allebong on flickr)
People gather on the Meadows for start of PoP 2013 (photo by allebong on flickr)

April this year will once again see Edinburgh’s streets taken over by a colourful mass of cyclists of all shapes and sizes calling for a cycle-friendly Scotland.

Pedal on Parliament (“PoP”), the grass-roots organisation which brought 4000 demonstrators to Holyrood last year, from children on balance bikes to champion cyclist Graeme Obree, have announced their third mass protest ride on the Scottish Parliament on Saturday the 26th of April.

Graeme Obree makes his point (photo by Anthony Robson on flickr)
Graeme Obree makes his point (photo by Anthony Robson on flickr)

People will be gathering at noon at the Meadows for a minute’s silence to remember those killed on Scotland’s roads and then riding down the Royal Mile to call on politicians to support the PoP manifesto for safer cycling.

This will be a light-hearted occasion, but with a serious purpose.

Last year saw 12 cyclists killed in Scotland, the highest number for several years, and 2014 has already seen three cyclists die, the most recent only this week.

Organiser Kim Harding with Ian Fyfe, widower of Audrey Fyfe (photo by Anthony Robson on flickr)
Organiser Kim Harding with Ian Fyfe, widower of Audrey Fyfe (photo by Anthony Robson on flickr)

Meanwhile the latest census figures show that the Scottish government is far behind on its target to see 10% of journeys by bike by 2020 - in the last decade, the percentage commuting to work by bike has risen only 0.1% to 1.6%.

The organisers believe that without real and sustained investment in cycling and roads designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities, then these figures will not improve.

Organiser David Brennan said,

“This year Scotland will be hosting the Commonwealth Games, bringing some of the world’s top cyclists to race around the streets of Glasgow. Yet if those same riders were to venture out in Glasgow on the roads that I and others cycle on any other day of the year, they would be shocked at how little quality provision there is for people who chose to travel by bike. As a result I often feel that my safety is compromised and many potential cyclists are discouraged from starting at all.”

He continued,

We may have produced some great sporting cyclists as a nation but we’re a very long way from being a cycle-friendly country. We want to see a Scotland where anyone - from Sir Chris Hoy to my four-year-old daughter - can enjoy the freedom of getting about by bike if they wish, and not having to wait until the roads are closed to do so.”

Graeme Obree, who led the ride last year alongside the families of Audrey Fyfe and Andrew McNichol who were both killed on their bikes on the streets of Edinburgh, said,

“Pedal on Parliament are not asking for spending here, but an investment, so that young people can cycle freely and without fear. We want a network from our homes to our workplaces, our shops, and schools and everywhere we want to go. It’s an investment in the health of the nation.”

Starting to gather at Parliament (photo by Anthony Robson on flickr)
Starting to gather at Parliament (photo by Anthony Robson on flickr)

Investment in cycling and other forms of active travel has been shown to return up to 19 times the amount invested in reduced congestion and improved health and pollution levels. It also makes the roads safer for everyone, including drivers, and substantially improves lives and livelihoods, as the experiences of places as diverse as New York, Copenhagen and Seville have shown.

People of all ages cycling to Parliament (photo by Chris Hill on flickr)
People of all ages cycling to Parliament (photo by Chris Hill on flickr)

Pedal on Parliament believe that with proper funding and well-designed cycling infrastructure, Scotland can be a healthier, wealthier and above all happier place.


Notes:

Pedal on Parliament’s eight-point manifesto asks for:

  1. Proper funding for cycling;
  2. Cycling to be designed into Scotland’s roads;
  3. Slower speeds where people live, work and play;
  4. Cycling to be integrated into local transport strategies;
  5. Improved road traffic law and enforcement;
  6. The risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians to be reduced;
  7. A strategic and joined-up programme of road user training; and,
  8. Improved statistics supporting decision-making and policy.
Side-by-side accessible tandem Pedal on Parliament (photo by Kim Harding on flickr)
Side-by-side accessible tandem Pedal on Parliament (photo by Kim Harding on flickr)

The first Pedal on Parliament on April 28 2012 brought 3000 people onto the streets of Edinburgh, and the second saw 4000 gather, including hundreds of kids.

Several children completed the 1.5 mile protest ride on balance bikes, with others on tagalongs, trailers, child seats, or pedalling alongside their parents. Cyclists rode in from as far afield as Aberdeen to join the event.

Directions to the starting place are on the PoP website HERE.

The website address for The Andrew Cyclist Charitable Trust is http://www.andrewcyclist.com

People killed in Scotland whilst riding their bicycles in 2014:

  • George Fairley, 78, from Kirkliston killed 10am Sunday 16 February on B800 Kirkliston to South Queeensferry;
  • Grant Gourlay, 48, from Dundee killed 10:30am Wednesday 16 April on A926 between Maryton and Kirriemuir

The police are also seeking witnesses after a 33 year old woman was injured in a hit and run collision in the Liberton area of Edinburgh at 9:30am on 17 April - please see HERE.

Wall of Death: FOI Questions and Replies

Questions:

Each of these questions was asked by Will Nickell through Freedom of Information requests sent to every London borough. All figures are taken directly from their responses.

Q1. What percentage of your borough’s total road kilometres consists of fully, hard-segregated cycle routes?

Q2. How many total kilometres of fully, hard-segregated cycle routes does this equate to?

Q3. Since the 6th of May 2010, how much money in pounds sterling has been spent from your borough’s transport budget on creating further,  fully, hard-segregated cycle routes?

Q4. In relation to the above question, what percentage of your total transport spend within your borough for the named period did this constitute?

Q5. For the period between the 1st of April 2014 and the 31st of March 2015,  how much total money in pounds sterling from your borough’s transport budget has been, or will be, allocated to creating further,  fully, hard-segregated cycle routes?

Q6. For the period mentioned in Q5, what percentage of your borough’s transport budget does this constitute?

Q7. What percentage of road kilometres under your sole control are 20mph roads?

Answers:

Click on each borough’s name to see the actual FOI request and the response received (links to the ‘What do they know?’ website).

Authority

Q1 (%)

Q2 (km)

Q3 (£)

Q4 (%)

Q5 (£)

Q6 (%)

Q7 (%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barking

1

4.5

0

0

750,000

34

15

Barnet

0

0

0

0

400,000

11

3

Bexley

0

0

0

0

///

///

7.25

Brent

1

1

///

///

///

///

28.38

Bromley

0

0

0

0

0

0

4.9

Camden

1.63

4.2

320,000

3.1

0

0

100

Croydon

///

///

0

0

///

///

///

Ealing

<1

1

400,000

2

///

///

50

Enfield

0

0

0

0

0

0

19

Greenwich

1.2

6.5

0

0

0

0

39

Hackney

0.2

0.5

0

0

0

0

87.9

Hammersmith
(updated)

1.9

4.2

0

0

///

///

28.1

Haringey

0

0

0

0

///

///

42.8

Harrow
(updated)

1.4

6.5

0

0

0

0

15

Havering

0

0

0

0

0

0

///

Hillingdon

<1

3

0

0

0

0

///

Hounslow

0

0

0

0

200,000

9

25

Islington

0.5

1

0

0

///

///

100

Kensington

0

0.1

0

0

0

0

0

Kingston-Upon-Thames
(updated)

0.53

1.744

80,000

0.6

///

///

40

Lambeth

0

0

0

0

0

0

67

Lewisham

0.05

0.25

0

0

///

///

64

City of London

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

Merton

1

1.5

0

0

///

///

20

Newham
(updated)

0.98

4.12

380,000

1.89

///

///

35.5

Redbridge

0.38

2

0

0

0

0

18

Richmond-Upon-Thames

0

0

0

0

///

///

DIY

Southwark

///

///

///

///

///

///

DIY

Sutton

0

0.5

0

0

0

0

10

Tower Hamlets

0

0

0

0

0

0

85

Waltham Forest

1.79

8.79

75,000

3

320,000

14.9

33

Wandsworth

0

0

0

0

0

0

DIY

Westminster

0.05

0.178

0

0

///

///

0.13

Aside: FOI request also sent to Transport for London and is included here for reference…

Transport for London

///

///

6,800,000
(CS2 extension)

DIY
(0.07)

107,000,000

2

0.6

Legend

/// = Answer not provided.
DIY = Council provided some data, but stated maths should be done by us.

UPDATES:

  • 5 September 2014:
  • 17 May 2014:
    • A separate set of FOI queries were put to governments in Hampshire and the answers reveal that no hard segregated cycle paths were installed there. See WALL OF DEATH - HAMPSHIRE
  • 13 May 2014:
    • Hammersmith and Fulham borough council responded on 13 May.
  • 28 April 2014:
    • Newham borough council responded on 27th March
    • Kingston-Upon-Thames borough council responded on 2nd April
    • Harrow did not re-supply the information as requested; but a way was found to get at the original data that they had provided

___________________________________________________________________

Appendix

Wall of Death - Thank yous

Donnachadh McCarthy writes…

Donnachadh McCarthy reveals the shocking information obtained through FOI requests sent to every London Borough.
Donnachadh McCarthy reveals the shocking information obtained through FOI requests sent to every London Borough.

Great success today everybody - loads of coverage for another vintage Stop Killing Cyclists protest!

Biggest thanks to everybody who contributed in loads of ways to Wall Of Death - especially to all of you who gave up your lunch-hours and held up the banner for a full hour.

It was a great privilege for us to have Debbie Dorling, the widow of Brian Dorling speak at the protest, despite the short notice.

Thanks to Will Nickell for his great FOI research,

Icame Isawi Steve for the Facebook page/images,

Abby Taubin for logistics,

Evey Allsopp for the moving bagpipe playing,

Harry for the PA system,

John Garthwaite for the stats backup,

Everybody who spread the word,

Mad Munk for his tweets,

Andrew Reeves-Hall for website wizardry,

David Fonseca for the placards.

Westminster Living Streets for endorsing and attending

Westminster Cyclists for promoting it

Apologies if I have missed anybody out!

We got buckets of coverage today and hopefully more tomorrow - so really worth it to keep the pressure up for our realisable goal of a wonderful modern safe cycling London.

Yes We Can!

Thanks

Donnachadh


Some of the media coverage is collated here:

Press Release - Wall of Death: 24 London Boroughs installed ZERO segregated cycle-lanes since the last London elections.

press release header
Wall of Death Protest Photo Opportunity: 1-2pm Westminster City Hall, 2nd April

The London Boroughs’ Wall of Death!

24 London Boroughs installed ZERO segregated cycle-lanes since the last London elections.

The attached Stop Killing Cyclists report contains detailed research of the London Boroughs’ failure to install safe, segregated cycle lanes since the last local elections in 2010.

Key Findings from the Freedom of Information replies received from 28 London Boroughs include:

    1. 13 London boroughs have ZERO segregated cycle-lanes.
    2. 24 London boroughs installed ZERO cycle lanes since last London elections.
    3. Only 3 boroughs installed any segregated cycle lanes since the last election: Ealing (spent £400,000), Camden (£320,000), Waltham Forest (£400,000).
    4. The sum total spent by all boroughs over last 4 years on segregated cycle lanes was a tiny £0.795 million. This equated to a minuscule £7,000 per borough per year since the last elections.
    5. Only 4 London Boroughs plan to install any segregated cycle lanes in the year after this May’s London elections: Barking, Barnet, Hounslow, Waltham Forest.
    6. Less than half of one percent of London’s Boroughs’ roads have segregated cycle lanes installed.
    7. Total installed length of segregated cycle-lanes in all 27 replying Boroughs (5 boroughs did not respond) is an almost invisible 36km in an estimated 11,900 km of roads.
    8. 13 London boroughs have ZERO segregated cycle lanes installed. 13 other London boroughs’ roads have less than 1% installed. Only Waltham Forest (1.79%) and Camden (1.63%) have more than 1% installed.
    9. The four boroughs with the longest distances of segregated cycle lanes are:
      • Waltham Forest 8.7km
      • Greenwich 6.5km
      • Barking 4.5km
      • Camden 4.2km
    10. The thirteen boroughs with ZERO segregated cycle lanes installed are: Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Enfield, Haringey, Havering, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Richmond, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth.
    11. Just three boroughs have designated 100% of their roads as 20 MPH zones: Southwark, Islington, Camden.
    12. Kensington & Chelsea was the only responding borough to have ZERO 20mph zones.
    13. Four boroughs have less than 5% of their roads designated as 20mph zones: Bromley (4.9%), Barnet (3%), City of London (1%), Westminster (0.13%).
    14. In 2012 Camden (£11.7 million) spent by far the most on road-safety since 2010 elections.
      • Average spend among other 32 boroughs was £2.6m.
      • The lowest spend on road safety was £0.009 million by Ealing.
      • Six boroughs spent less than £1million on road safety: Southwark, Barnet, City of London, Ealing, Havering, Bromley.

Stop Killing Cyclists are organising a protest outside Westminster City Hall on Wednesday 2nd April 1-2pm to draw attention to the release of this damning research.

This London Boroughs’ Wall of Death Protest will individually mark all of the 54 cyclists killed since the last elections in the London Boroughs four years ago. It will also mark the estimated death, injury and fatal-disease toll in the London Boroughs over the 4 years since the last elections:

54 Cyclists Killed
272 Pedestrians killed1.
2,224 Cyclists seriously injured.
3,749 Pedestrians seriously injured.
11,260 Est. deaths from physical unfitness due to lack of cycle infrastructure3.
13,400 Est. deaths from traffic pollution2.
32,600 Pedestrians and cyclists killed or injured4.
108,600 All motoring deaths and injuries5.

Will Nickell, author of the London Boroughs Segregated Cycle Lanes Report for Stop Killing Cyclists said,

“This research exposes for the first time the lethal failure by the vast majority of London’s Boroughs to invest in Go-Dutch standard segregated, safe cycle lanes, for London’s kids and cyclists over the last four years”.

He added,

“Boroughs must urgently follow Amsterdam into the 21st century and invest a minimum of 10% of their transport budget in Dutch standard cycle lanes and include space for cycling in all new developments and transport infrastructure.”

Donnachadh McCarthy , Co-organiser Stop Killing Cyclists said,

“Every one of the 54 cyclists killed on London’s roads over the last four years is a tragedy, and it is also important to note the literally thousands of other deaths from the London boroughs’ failure to provide a safe, unpolluted cycling and walking environment.”

He added,

“Londoners should ask every candidate in May’s local and European elections if they will support 10% of their transport budget to be spent on segregated cycle lanes”.

 

Facebook Event Page: The London Boroughs Wall of Death
https://www.facebook.com/events/296107700543184/

Website: StopKillingCyclists.org

Data Notes:

  1. TfL reported 204 pedestrian killings between 2010-12. We have extrapolated that for the fourth year, giving an estimated total of 272.
  2. The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) health study report in 2010 reported over 4,200 extra deaths per year in London from particulate pollution. The London Mayor estimates that traffic pollution accounts for 80% of London’s particulate pollution. See http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Health_Study_%20Report.pdf
  3. Less than 20% of Londoners now achieve the recommended level of physical activity. If you take Denmark and Netherlands as two cycle-friendly countries otherwise similar to the UK, the actives are 70-80%. Assuming, then, that 75% of the population in London were to reach the desired activity level, 2,815 fewer people would die per year, or 11,260 over 4 years (figures from Public Health England).
  4. Based on actual reported casualty statistics TfL 2010-12 – extrapolated for final year.
  5. DoT data reports 97,000 deaths and injuries in 2010-12, extrapolated for final year.

Stop Killing Cyclists is the direct action protest group set up after the recent spate of cyclist killings in London. They arranged the mass Die-In at TfL HQ where 1,500 cyclists lay down in the road in protest at lack of safety investment in London.

Date: 31st March 2014

 

See appendix 1 (HERE) for the detailed FOI questions and answers.

See our report The London Boroughs: Saving Lives or Saving Pounds? by Will Nickell