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Press Releases

Press Release - Vigil for Sixth London Person Killed While Cycling This Year

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Press Release Header with logo (Abby Taubin)
Vigil for Sixth London Person Killed While Cycling This Year

* For Immediate Release *

For the sixth time this year, Stop Killing Cyclists, the cycling activist group, will commemorate a person killed by a lorry while riding her bicycle, with a Vigil and Die-In.

The person being remembered is 32 year old Esther Hartsilver, who died as a result of her bicycle being hit by a lorry on Denmark Hill at the junction with Orpheus Street just before 8am on Thursday, 28th May.

Esther was on her way to Kings College Hospital where she worked in the Physiotherapy Department but very sadly died of her injuries at the hospital.

Stop Killing Cyclists will begin gathering from 6pm on Monday 8th June at Camberwell Green, and the vigil will formally start after 6.30pm. In this sadly increasingly familiar sight on the streets of London, short speeches will be given, candles lit, and flowers laid around a ghost bike in memory of Ms Hartsilver, before hundreds of people will lay on the road, many with their bikes.

Traffic will be brought to a standstill for two minutes, and all will be given a space to contemplate the terrible price paid by Esther Hartsilver, and by cyclists and pedestrians killed and seriously injured on the streets of London.

Southwark Council (LBS) is notorious for poor cycling provision, and must take responsibility, along with the construction industry, for this latest tragedy. They are complicit in her death. Southwark Council’s Transport Department proposed a by-pass two years ago to allow cyclists to avoid that junction by using Love Walk, but Deputy Leader Labour Cllr Ian Wingfield refused this proposal due to cyclists being according to him “a danger to pedestrians” - thus insisting all cyclists, including children to use the major junctions.

Stop Killing Cyclists co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy said:

“Let’s make sure Southwark Council is held accountable for their murderous policies. They refused a proposal to have a bypass because (they said) it would endanger pedestrians on Love Walk”

Ends.

Release Dated: 1 June 2015

Event Listings (including feeder rides info):

Notes:

Stop Killing Cyclists - logo with website in red

Stop Killing Cyclists calls on Southwark Council and Transport for London to truly recognise that cycling must be a priority for road design and transport planning if London is to become a safe place for everyone to cycle, not just the fit and the brave, but the pensioner, the child, the parent taking children to school, the ordinary person going about their daily business.

Transport for London must appoint cycling representatives to its board, to balance the representatives of the HGV and taxi industries. It should allocate 10% of its budget to cycling provision, and ensure that every facet of road maintenance, building and planning considers the needs of people to cycle.

Southwark Council must take immediate action to provide protected lanes for people who cycle in this busy borough. No money has been spent on segregated cycle lanes in the borough in 4 years, with LBS having deleted ALL cycle provision proposals in the Peckham & Camberwell Action Plan. Camberwell Green Junction is being refurbished and Southwark Council are refusing to include safe protected left hand turns for cyclists. We call on LBS to reverse their policy on both Camberwell Green and the junction where Esther Hartsilver was killed IMMEDIATELY. It is criminal not to make improvements.

See http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/02february/pages/cycling-safety-a-special-report.aspx for statistics re the health benefits of riding a bike and what needs to be done to cut down the cost to the country through KSIs.

Stop Killing Cyclists is the direct action protest group set up in November 2013 after the terrible spate of cyclist killings in London. They arranged the first mass Die-In at TfL HQ where 1,500 cyclists laid down in the road in protest at lack of safety investment in London.

All photos on the website are available for media use (with credit given to the photographer and Stop Killing Cyclists), and representatives are available for interviews and media contact by emailing [email protected] or by calling Donnachadh on 07947 884299

Protests

Elephant & Castle Die-In - Media Coverage

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Stop Killing Cyclists hold their third die-in at Elephant & Castle outside the Strata building (photo by Sean O'Sullivan)
Stop Killing Cyclists hold their third die-in at Elephant & Castle outside the Strata building (photo by Sean O’Sullivan)

Elephant & Castle Draw-In and Die-In

Thank yous

Follow-Up

Event Listing: On website and On Facebook

Media Coverage - Before the Event

Media Coverage - After the Event

TV Reports and Interviews

Speeches

Pictures

 

Short-cut to this page:

http://StopKillingCyclists.org/ElephantCoverage

Follow-Up

5 June 2014: Elephant & Castle Emergency Cycling Safety Proposals Revealed

Media Coverage - Before the Event

Media Coverage - After the Event

TV Reports and Interviews

London Live (22 May 2014)

ITV News (21 May 2014, 6pm newscast)

 

ITV News (17 May 2014, am): Interview of widow of person killed

BBC London News (14 May 2014): Bart Chan interview with Tom Edwards

ITV News (14 May 2014, 6pm): Interview of Donnachadh McCarthy at E&C

London Live (14 May 2014, 7am): Interview of Donnachadh McCarthy at E&C

Speeches

GardenVisit.com (Tom Turner): Elephant and Castle protest demo - Space for Cycling London 21 May 2014

Pictures

Demotix…

Tim Hoy-Griffiths…

Andrew Reeves-Hall…

Protests

Elephant & Castle Die-In – Thank Yous

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Donnachadh McCarthy writes…

Stop Killing Cyclists hold their third die-in at Elephant & Castle outside the Strata building (photo by Sean O'Sullivan)
Stop Killing Cyclists hold their third die-in at Elephant & Castle outside the Strata building (photo by Sean O’Sullivan)

Just a quickie to say a huge thank you to everybody who showed up to our Direct Action Protest at the Elephant yesterday.

(UPDATE: media coverage of the event is HERE)

I thought it was one of our best events to date and believe a really powerful, moving and effective message was sent to TfL, Southwark and London - no more killing!

Today’s event involved a huge array of people voluntarily helping in one way or another - remember today’s event was purely grassroots organised with no money and no organisation - so I think what you all managed to create was awesome and I am know that Steve joins me in saying a huge thank you.

Just look at this picture!!! It summarises so well what is needed in a moving, graphic and dignified direct-action protest.

One quick piece of feedback - Will and Luke urged me to take on Simon Hughes MP, the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties, who showed up at the event and was speaking to Live TV.

Loathe to allow him to give a government spin on what was happening, I interrupted his interview gently and challenged him live on air about his and his party and his administration’s record, which in my view is just as bad as Val Shawcross’s Labour GLA and Southwark Council.

As a result he invited us to come into his offce next week to go over our entire list of demands at national and local level.

Yes We Can!

(UPDATE: more thank yous after the video - scroll down)

—

YouTube: Donnachadh quizzes Simon Hughes MP

More Thank Yous…

Before we move on from this week’s Direct Action at the Elephant, it’s important to thank the many many people who helped make it the great and important success that it was.

Fred Smith - who set up FB event and organised the chalk and so much else.
Andrew D Smith - for printing and handng out the flyers.
Abby Taubin - for flyering and reading out the Heaney poem.
Will Nickell - for bringing a cycle trailer of stuff across London and ensuring victims had a voice at the event.

Dave Rinaldi Alexandra Dingreville Richard Paul Brocklehurst Sonia Quintero John Garthwaite, UCL students etc etc for help with flyering

Paul Brocklehurst for sorting out emergency tape and chair!
Krisztian Hajdu for banner and roundels
Graham Neale and Luisa Pretolani for sorting out overhead camera crew
Chris Lemin - for bringing PA and Mike
Andrew Reeves-Hall - for doing great stuff on website
Steve for doing the flyer graphics
Nic Fripp - for loan of cycle trailer
Luke Holland for helping me organise lane drawing
Rhiannon Redpath for asking 38 degrees to FB event
Jenny Jones and Natalie Bennett for tweeting the event
ITV, London Live, Evening Standard, South London Press, Road CC, Southwark News etc for letting their audiences know about protest beforehand.
Tom Kearney for his moral support
David Fonseca for the posters
Karl Roche for useful profile graphic
To all who tweeted and emailed and Facebooked the event including the enthusiastic Mad Munk
The mums and dads who brought their kids
To all who wrote powerful messages on the drawn in cycle lane
To the many talented photographers who ensured our visual message was recorded and seen by many.
To the Met police who helped the public get past the protest and who allowed us chalk the cycle lane without hassle
And most importantly to the women, men and kids who turned up and lay down in Direct Action protest including people who cycle, walk and drive.

Yes You Did - And Yes We Can! 

We are hugely grateful for what all you guys did - this event and all Stop Killing Cyclists activities are organised with no funding and no professional staff - so it is you guys who make the miracles possible.

Big thanks from

Steve and Donnachadh

Events

Elephant Draw-In and Die-In Direct Action Protest

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Emergency services attend to a crash at the Elephant and Castle roundabout in London on 13th May 2014. Photo by Nyron Gopeesingh, used with permission.
Emergency services attend to a crash at the Elephant and Castle roundabout in London on 13th May 2014. Photo by Nyron Gopeesingh, used with permission.

UPDATE: Please see our ‘Thank Yous‘ and ‘media coverage‘ articles..

What: Direct Action Draw-In and Die-In
When: Wednesday 21st May, 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Where: Outside Strata SE1, Elephant & Castle southern junction, SE1 6EJ, London.
Bring: White and Green Chalk. (We have got some wallpaper lined up in case we need to switch from chalk if it rains)
.RSVP:

Facebook Event Listing
Map, Background: DIRECT ACTION DETAILS (on our Stop The Killing website)
Press Releases: 19/05/2014: Over 350 Cyclists Signed up… 14/05/2014: Elephant Draw-In & Die-In

Stop Killing Cyclists - E&C event logo

 

SOUTHERN INTERSECTION

Remember: this protest is taking place at the southern intersection, next to the Strata building.

Dignified and Peaceful

Some family members of those killed and injured may be attending - so we are asking that people treat the event as a dignified peaceful Direct Action expressing our anger but our peaceful determination to get emergency action to protect cyclists and pedestrians asap from Southwark Council and TfL.

Timings

Approximate timings of the event today - rain or shine. Subject to change depending on situation, weather and media goals.

The Die-In may take place before the Rally at 6pm as London Tonight, Evening Standard, Live TV, South London Press and Southwark News have all said they want to cover the event - possibly on their evening broadcast.

The police have been very helpful liaising to ensure its safe.

NOTE: Timetable may vary slightly from that published. Be there for 5:30p and then you won’t miss a thing!

5:00 Pre-event meet-up for volunteers to sketch the outline of where a segregated cycle lane should go

5:30 Start of “Draw-In” event. Protesters invited to colour in the cycle route in whatever way they feel moved to -whether images or messages. We must be respectful as the protest is a result of Abdelkhars Lahyani’s terrible death last week.

6:00 Die-In (bring something soft for lying on the ground!) 

6:10 Rally - speech by Steve. Poem to be read by Abby. Special message to the protest from Thames Street victim Bart Chan to be read out by Will. Possibly other statements.

6:25 Concluding speech by Donnachadh

News Articles:

TV Reports and Interviews:

ITV News (17 May 2014, am): Interview of widow of person killed

BBC London News (14 May 2014): Bart Chan interview with Tom Edwards

ITV News (14 May 2014, 6pm): Interview of Donnachadh McCarthy at E&C

London Live (14 May 2014, 7am): Interview of Donnachadh McCarthy at E&C

Flyer

Click to download pdf of flyer (2-sided)
Click to download pdf of flyer (2-sided)

** please no fly posting - just for handing out to people you meet **

Note: the date of posting of this article was 14 May; It was changed to 21 so that it appeared at the top of the blog on the day of the protest.

Press Releases

Press Release - Elephant Draw-In and Die-In

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press release header

 

Elephant Draw-In and Die-In
Direct Action Protest

What: Direct Action Draw-In and Die-In
When: Wednesday 21st May, 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Where: Southern Roundabout Plaza, Elephant & Castle, London.
Bring: White and Green Chalk.

 

To mark yet another unnecessary cycling tragedy at the Elephant & Castle and to protest at the continued total failure by Southwark Council and TfL to install emergency protected by-passes at dangerous junctions across London such as the Elephant, we will draw in Green and White Chalk the protected cycle-lane that Southwark and TfL should be installing immediately.

We will also stage a die-in with our bodies and bikes along the route of the urgently necessary cycle-lane.

The Facebook event page is at: Stop Killing Cyclists – Direct Action Elephant & Castle

Stop Killing Cyclists co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy said:

“The carnage from trucks horrendously killing cyclists at Left-Hand-Turns has got to stop. Southwark, TfL and the other London Boroughs need to urgently install safe protected turns at junctions across London urgently, where there is sufficient space for pedestrians and cyclists.“

He added:

“Stop Killing Cyclists are so frustrated at the lack of action, that we will ourselves on Wednesday draw in green and white chalk the route of a protected junction cycle by-pass that Southwark and TfL lethally left out of the recent multi-million refurbishment of the southern Elephant junction.

Alongside the chalked cycle-lane, we will also stage a Die-In to represent the hundreds of London pedestrians and cyclists being killed unnecessarily on our City’s roads. We welcome all road users to the protest.“

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 including Southwark 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. Southwark Council has not installed a single meter of segregated cycle-lane in the 3 years since their Head of Planning, Simon Bevan announced a policy of using cyclists to slow the traffic.

4. The link to the Facebook event is: https://www.facebook.com/events/246342555567982/

5. The link to the direct action information page is: http://StopTheKilling.org.uk/Elephant