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Second serious cyclist crash this year at Ludgate Circus sparks demands for actionBroken bike (CC licensed image by garryknight, www.flickr.com)

Second serious cyclist crash this year at Ludgate Circus sparks demands for action

Woman in 20s fighting for life after being crushed by tipper lorry
by John Stevenson
Fri, Oct 17, 2014 17:02
30

Londoners are demanding Mayor Boris Johnson act urgently to improve safety after a cyclist was involved in a collision with a truck at the capital's notorious Ludgate Circus junction this morning.

The female cyclist is fighting for her life after in a London hospital after being attended by London Ambulance Service at the scene at about 11:30 this morning.

London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "A woman believed to be in her 20s was in cardiac arrest at the scene, and extensive efforts were made to resuscitate her. She was taken by ambulance to the Royal London Hospital as a priority."

Cyclist Michelle Forster passed the scene shortly after the crash:

The London Cycling Campaign posted on Facebook: "We're saddened to hear of a woman involved in a serious collision with an HGV at Ludgate Circus. We hope for the best for the victim and our thoughts are with her and her family."

In April Victor Manuel Ben Rodriguez was killed when he was crushed under a tipper lorry at Ludgate Circus. Today's casualty brings the total of cyclists killed or seriously injured at Ludgate circus since 2008 to eight.

Many Londoners tweeted calls for action in the hours after the collision.

Richard Aylwin, MD of Aylwin Communications - a PR consultancy for the architecture and proprty industries, said: "Yet another serious accident involving a cyclist at Ludgate Circus today; Do something about it #borisjohnson rather than making promises"

Matthew Davis called on the Mayor to act: "@MayorofLondon sort ludgate circus out now! That junction is a death trap for both pedestrians and cyclists."

Billo posted: "@mayoroflondon @tflofficial another cyclist run over at Ludgate Circus. Twice in matter of months. Do something for cyclists & pedestrians."

Jocelyn Bailey said: "Just walked past an awful bike v lorry incident at ludgate circus. How many times does this have to happen before we sort it out?"

Cycling campaigners pointed out that the Ludgate Circus junction will be part of the planned North-South cycle superhighway. That project has been secretively opposed by "old men in limos" who appear to value the ability to be chauffeured swiftly around London above the lives of cyclists.

Danny Williams said: "If cycle super highway built, there's no way that cycle/lorry collision (again) at Ludgate Circus cd have happened"

Treasure added: "To repeat the point - with N-S Superhighway, movements of HGVs and people cycling at Ludgate Circus would be completely separated"

Janina Gehlau
Ludgate Circus
London
Crossrail for bikes
John Stevenson

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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