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Witness appeal after 32 year old Esther Hartsilver killed in Camberwell lorry collision Broken bike (CC licensed image by garryknight, www.flickr.com)

Witness appeal after 32 year old Esther Hartsilver killed in Camberwell lorry collision

Incident took place on Thursday morning - all six London cycling fatalities in 2015 involve lorries
by Alex Bowden
Fri, May 29, 2015 10:28
11

Police have appealed for witnesses to a collision involving a cyclist and a lorry at the junction of Denmark Hill and Orpheus Street in Camberwell, south London. The cyclist, Esther Hartsilver, 32, died at hospital later that evening.

The incident took place at 7.58am on Thursday May 28 with the cyclist, senior physiotherapist, taken by London Ambulance Service to Kings College hospital, where she worked. The driver remained at the scene and there have been no arrests.

All six fatal cycling fatalities in London in 2015 have involved lorries. The vehicle involved on this occasion belonged to The Co-operative Food. A spokesman for the firm told the London Evening Standard: “We are co-operating with the police who are investigating the incident. Our thoughts and concerns are with the cyclist and her family and friends.”

Rosie Downes, Campaigns Manager at London Cycling Campaign, told road.cc: “We are devastated to hear that yet another life has been lost on our streets. All six cyclist fatalities on London’s roads in 2015 have involved heavy goods vehicles. 

"It is unacceptable that drivers of the largest, and most dangerous, vehicles on the road have severely restricted vision by their vehicle design. New ‘direct vision’ cabs, which give the driver a direct view of cyclists and pedestrians in close proximity to their vehicle, are now available. Their widespread adoption is essential, together with restrictions on lorry movements, prioritising safe passage for people on foot or bike during roadworks, and the redesign of our streets to create safe and inviting space for cycling.

No cyclist should be threatened with the risk of death or serious injury from unsafe lorries. Our vision is to ensure these lorries are removed from our streets.”

Anyone who has information can contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Catford on 020 8285 1574.

Esther Hartsilver
cyclist fatality
Camberwell
Alex Bowden

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.

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11 comments

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nadsta | 8 years ago
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http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclist-killed-in-camberwell-crash...

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nadsta | 8 years ago
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http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclist-killed-in-camberwell-crash...

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hampstead_bandit | 8 years ago
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@FluffyKitten..

I've made my thoughts about the pathetic joke that is Operation Safeway known before

putting Police and PCSO onto the streets to stand around and talk to each other, whilst traffic offences are being committed in front of them, is a total waste of money

When I've directly asked some of these officers what the law is concerning the ASL at traffic lights, and they cannot provide an answer, what hope is for them to "Police" the junction?

Its a PR exercise, coupled with targeting of easy pickings such as cyclists who have strayed over the stop line or ridden onto the pavement to get around a tipper truck

@Judge dreadful

I'm also very surprised the numbers of incidents isn't higher in London bearing in mind the appalling quality of driving I see every day and large numbers of cyclists putting themselves at risk through inexperience or sheer stupidity

perhaps guardian angels are watching over cyclists?

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Judge dreadful | 8 years ago
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RIP to the cyclist involved in this incident.

I'm actually surprised the numbers of these incidents isn't a bit higher. I've witnessed some crazy riding, and driving, where I've been giving it the full on lemon face, and waited for a crunch, which hasn't happened purely by luck and not by judgement (especially in London). On Tuesday, I was riding through Putney, and there was a tipper truck turning Left, down by the bridge. He indicated nice and early, I pulled up behind him to let him get on with it, some total jockey came past me on the left, and tried to get past the truck (passing a left indicating truck on the left 35 ) he squeezed between the truck and the kerb, and fortunately the driver spotted the idiot and managed to stop. That's just one incident that sticks in my mind, of late. Sometimes the riders are their own worst enemy.

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Airzound replied to Judge dreadful | 8 years ago
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Judge dreadful wrote:

RIP to the cyclist involved in this incident.

I'm actually surprised the numbers of these incidents isn't a bit higher. I've witnessed some crazy riding, and driving, where I've been giving it the full on lemon face, and waited for a crunch, which hasn't happened purely by luck and not by judgement (especially in London). On Tuesday, I was riding through Putney, and there was a tipper truck turning Left, down by the bridge. He indicated nice and early, I pulled up behind him to let him get on with it, some total jockey came past me on the left, and tried to get past the truck (passing a left indicating truck on the left 35 ) he squeezed between the truck and the kerb, and fortunately the driver spotted the idiot and managed to stop. That's just one incident that sticks in my mind, of late. Sometimes the riders are their own worst enemy.

+1

A total twat ninja BSO cyclist decided to squeeze down the near side of my car and the kerb today as I pulled left out of a side road onto a main road. Yes I was indicating and had been doing so for some time whilst waiting for a break in the traffic. I stopped and sounded the horn as he was about to take the paint off my car door and go under the car but the knobber jumped onto the pavement and gave me a one fingered salute and shouted "F*** off!" at me. Charming. I hate cyclists. No suggestion that the deceased cyclist in this instance was a knobber but never the less it makes you think. A lot of cyclists do some bloody stupid things pulling almost suicidal stunts to get by vehicles.

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nadsta | 8 years ago
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RIP, would be useful to find out the circumstances as this wasn't a construction lorry so presumably was fully compliant regarding side barriers between the wheels.

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Rupert | 8 years ago
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Not another cyclist killed why does this keep happening ? RIP !

17
Something has to be done about this.

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danthomascyclist replied to Rupert | 8 years ago
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Rupert wrote:

Something has to be done about this.

They do in the cases where the driver is at fault - it's normally 3 points, a £60 fine and a stern telling-off by a police officer. What more deterrent could you want?

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to Rupert | 8 years ago
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Rupert wrote:

Not another cyclist killed why does this keep happening ? RIP !

17
Something has to be done about this.

The very sad fact is, the last time that sentiment was widely expressed the 'something' we got was 'Operation Safeway'. And in the couple of years since, the casualty rate has remained at a distressingly consistent one cyclist death in London per month.

Its actually really quite unnerving, the tendency for such statistics to remain so horribly constant - almost to the point where I start expecting to hear such tragic news simply because the 'numbers' seem to be demanding it.

A horrible, horrible event. And something has to be done, but please let it be something that actually has an effect, unlike what we got before.

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PaulBox | 8 years ago
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RIP

2

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mrmo | 8 years ago
0 likes

how many more! RIP

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