Petition Tag - lorry

On April 5th 2011, on a clear afternoon long before rush hour, London cyclist and student Paula Jurek was knocked down and killed by a lorry turning left from Camden Road into St Pancras Way. She was just twenty.

She joins many other cyclists killed or gravely injured in the same circumstances in London, but if you click the image above to sign this petition for Paula, and many others, you can help ensure this doesn't happen again.

Her death could have been prevented by three things, one of which is so cheap and simple it could be done tomorrow.

As Boris Johnson tries to coax more cyclists onto our roads, he must also make the same effort to keep them safe. Here’s how:

1. MIRRORS FOR LORRY DRIVERS: In 2010, Mr Johnson introduced "Trixi" mirrors, mounted at junctions to give lorry drivers greater visibility on their left sides and to prevent these kinds of accidents.

But he installed only 39 of these mirrors for the entire capital.

He said they would be "reviewed", but their effectiveness has already been demonstrated in Europe. In January, he was asked when this review would be available. His answer: "TfL will shortly be discussing the results of the trial… to retain the existing mirrors and to install further mirrors." That was January. Where are the results? Where are the mirrors?

Both lorry drivers and cyclists have agreed the mirrors are a big help. Even the Deputy Chair of London's Transport Committee and one of Mr Johnson's own colleagues, Caroline Pidgeon, says these mirrors are an important part of improving cycle safety. But Boris has stalled.

The mirrors do not cost much to install or maintain, and the process involves no disruption. They save lives. We need more, now.

2. CITY TRAINING FOR LORRY DRIVERS: Lorry drivers cannot always see cyclists. While a few London boroughs have specifically trained lorry drivers to watch for them on the capital’s busy and sometimes narrow roads, most boroughs still haven’t.

3. SAFE CYCLE ROUTES IN CAMDEN: There are few provisions for cyclists in Camden, yet many students and young people bike there every day. Camden's roads are packed and its cyclists need safe cycle lanes and cycle boxes. The junction at which Paula died has only one cycle box. Why? It should have three.

Camden Councillor Paul Braithwaite has been pushing TfL to improve cycling provisions where Paula died. "There are far too many deaths on Camden Road," he says.

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July 6, 2006

Due to the Leylandi trees being cut down or the density trimmed back too much, this has now created alot of noise from different vehicles which frequent the lorry park.

The factory warehouse also loading and unloading has its own noise levels. The addition of an AA depot last year without any prior consultation to the surrounding neighbourhood brings noise 24/7.

The noise problem will get worse if the trees that are dead are cut down futher.

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