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Stop the Killing protest (courtesy Stop the Killing Coalition) 02Stop Killing Cyclists hold ‘die in’ for Esther Hartsilver
For the sixth time this year, Stop Killing Cyclists have commemorated a person killed by a lorry with a ‘die-in’ vigil. On this occasion, the person being remembered was 32-year-old Esther Hartsilver, who was killed in a collision with a lorry in Camberwell in May.
Cyclists stopped traffic and lay down in the road opposite Camberwell Green on Monday night. Afterwards, short speeches were given, candles were lit and flowers laid around a ghost bike.
Nicola Branch, co-organiser of the Stop Killing Cyclists pressure group, told the London Evening Standard that the protest was a means of remembering Hartsilver while appealing for improved cycling infrastructure. "Tonight's emotional die-in, which included the cyclist's family and friends, sends a loud message to Southwark Council that it must urgently install protected cycle lanes and protected left hand turns at junctions across the borough."
Peter John, leader of Southwark Council, said:
"Our sincerest sympathies are with the family and friends of Miss Hartsilver. We want to make cycling safer for everyone in Southwark, which is one of the reasons why we plan to invest millions of pounds in cycling over the next five years.
"It is too early to speculate on the events surrounding the tragic death of Ms Hartsilver but the council is speaking with TfL about a number of changes to the Camberwell network and we will be working with TfL, who we need to agree any decisions.
"In addition to this, last year I proposed a London-wide ban on HGVs during rush hour to protect cyclists, and following the tragic death of Esther Hartsilver the case for such a ban remains strong. I will be writing to the Mayor of London this week asking him to look at this with us urgently.”
Hartsilver was on her way to Kings College Hospital where she worked as a senior physiotherapist when she was involved in the collision at the junction of Denmark Hill and Orpheus Street on May 28. The driver of the Co-op food lorry involved remained at the scene and there were no arrests.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
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Taking it literally - perhaps because on a country lane you should be cycling in the same direction as other traffic. (Albeit they might be...
- David9694 27 min 30 sec ago
No, you're thinking of Tomy Capsticks Capstick Comes Home ...
- Rendel Harris 40 min 31 sec ago
I'm no accountant but I'm fairly sure that you don't have to pay inheritance tax after you're dead, though your beneficiaries may have to. Even...
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Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
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I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
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At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
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But now you don't have to. Allegedly.
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Apparently an erotic ring to it for some. What about armour-clad Segway-ists though?
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Since Kona's rebirth after they kept the stinky for waaaay too long they have been one of the most consistently desireable mountain bike brands. If...
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Device with built in battery?? Shocking!!
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9 comments
Protests pretty much have to inconvenience a significant number of people or they won't be noticed at all.
My only quibble with these protests (and it's a minor one, I don't want to nit-pick about people who are actually doing something) is just that, surely, what we want is our transport policy to stop killing _people_?
The issue isn't the inconvenience, its whether that inconvenience is percieved by the majority as just being for the benefit of an existing small group or for everyone.
Somehow it needs to be gotten across that what we have now is bad for everyone (particularly including pedestrians, who are killed by motorists fairly regularly, insofar as they haven't been driven into becoming motorists in order to avoid the risk of being driven into _by_ motorists).
The difficulty seems to be in getting that across.
@KiwiMike
I agree. the problem with the english is we are too polite, let like to complain and moan under our breathe, in case we offend someone!
Its time to get loud about these very serious problems, because remaining quiet is not stopping any further fatalities on our roads.
This has been a "non issue" for far too long, whilst we pander to the ego of the motorist
Photos, videos and speeches are collected together on the group's website page here:
Esther Hartsilver -- Vigil and Die-In at Camberwell Green
~Andrew~
Full credit to Stop Killing Cyclists, a grassroots organisation that is achieving a great deal with effectively zero funding.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
Southwark Council has opposed protected tracks for cyclists at every step. It has also fought plans for safer junctions, I believe. There are already signs that following this protest, that will change. SKC are massively to be applauded for their protests - this is how the Dutch won good infrastructure. This is what we must, apparently, do to get the same.
I don't agree with protests that inconvenience unrelated people, but it's good to see this was peaceful and dignified. I hope that this brings non-cyclists to align their views more closely with cyclists but I do feel that it will probably just ostracise cyclists even more.
Funnily enough, I feel the exact opposite.
I say shut the roads down. FOR AN HOUR. Cause absolute and total traffic mayhem. Inconvenience thousands - no, tens of thousands of people.
And do it every_single_time someone dies under an HGV, or a TfL bus.
Bring the place to its knees. Let Londoners know, and their leaders know, that if a cyclist dies then precisely one week later you will have traffic hell to manage.
They have the legislative tools to stop these deaths happening. If motorists start petitioning them to use the tools to stop the traffic chaos happening, maybe they will listen.
The fact is that anything that has been changed by protest is by the very fact that it causes, at the very least, inconvenience for the majority of people in that area, raising awareness of the issue and creating a critical mass of support to force through change.
But if we examine history, we can easily see that civil rights, the end of apartheid, abolition of the poll tax (both in 1381 and 1989), 'Stop The Kindermoort', etc etc ad nauseum were all achieved through not inconveniencing a single person.
Almost every day motorists inconvenience unrelated people - by either killing or seriously injuring vulnerable road users, not to mention other motorists.
But judging from the attitude of transport authorities, local councils, the motoring industry and the wider motoring population, this is OK, because they consider it the acceptable price of 'keeping traffic moving' and 'buoying up the economy'.
Every single road fatality or casualty is completely avoidable, if only the authorities would face up to their responsibilities, yet this daily carnage is pretty much ignored because in the main it afflicts 'other people' who are the victims of unaccountable and 'unavoidable' events.
But how many road deaths and KSIs would be acceptable to these apologists if the victims were drawn exclusively from the members of their own families or circle of friends?
In order to get this message home there is therefore every reason to highlight the needless death of vulnerable road users, and in a way that has the greatest possible impact on all road users and relevant authorities.