Jonathan Rothwell on a call for action on the Carpenters Road junction
The London Cycling Campaign, and its local branch Newham Cyclists, held a 100-strong protest on Stratford High Street at the end of February, six weeks after a man in his 20s was killed by a lorry at the notorious Carpenters Road junction.
The one-mile stretch of High Street between Bow Roundabout and Stratford town centre contains four of the most dangerous junctions for cycling in the Borough. At all of them, the kerb-protected cycle track disappears, leaving cyclists unprotected.
Shameem Dukandar-Patel, a lecturer who volunteers with Cycle Sisters, said of the man who died: “He is not a statistic, he is a person. As a ride leader, we try to avoid these junctions, as it’s not safe for one individual, let alone a group.”
Protesters say the crash raises questions on whether Transport for London is able to deliver their Vision Zero commitment to end traffic deaths in London by 2041. The Council says work might not start on these junctions for another 18-24 months—assuming the designs pass stringent traffic modelling exercises. If Vision Zero is to happen this century, Tfl will need to move faster to prevent further tragedies.
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