Male cyclist killed in London after collision with a lorry at accident blackspot where six others have died since 2008
- Unnamed male cyclist killed this morning in central London
- He was pronounced dead at the scene after collision with lorry
- Driver arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving
- Of 14 cyclists killed in London accidents in 2013, nine involved HGVs
A male cyclist died in London this morning after colliding with a lorry at an accident blackspot.
The unnamed man was apparently hit by the waste truck at the Ludgate circus junction at the bottom of Fleet Street, where six others have died since 2008.
According to the London Ambulance Service the cyclist died at the scene of the accident which happened shortly after 10am.
A cyclist has been killed in central London this morning after colliding with a lorry at 10am
The man, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at the scene while the lorry driver was arrested
The 53-year-old lorry driver stopped at the scene and has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
According to the London Evening Standard, both the cyclist and the lorry were thought to have been travelling down Fleet Street before turning left into Farrigdon Road.
Paul Gurney, who arrived seconds after the accident, described the scene as ‘sickening’.He initially thought the cyclist had survived, but soon realised he had suffered a serious head injury.
The 32-year-old from Bushey told the Standard: ‘It’s heartbreaking. My heart goes out to the family. It seems like he was just cycling to work – there’s no coming back from an accident like that.
‘The body was completely lifeless. The driver looked really shaken up. He was just sitting at the side of the road with police officers.’
London Assembly Green Party member Darren Johnson said there had been six cyclists killed or seriously injured at the junction between 2008 and 2012.
He added that Ludgate Circus had featured on Transport for London’s original list of 100 junctions which it planned to overhaul following safety concerns, but that it had not featured on a revised list of 33 junctions where work would be carried out.
Campaigners say the junction is a known blackspot and that six cyclist have been killed there since 2008.There were plans to improve safety for cyclists at the junction, but these have since been scrapped
Mr Johnson said London mayor Boris Johnson ‘has to show some leadership and take responsibility for getting London’s road network fit for cycling’.
He went on: ‘It is terrible to think that we have to endure another decade of preventable casualties at this junction and many others which have been dropped from the mayor’s list, because of the lack of money.’
Last autumn six cyclists were killed on London’s roads in just two weeks leading to calls for пицца красноярск more money to be invested in cycle lanes and safety measures.
At the time, former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman asked the London Mayor to look at introducing a similar system ot Paris where heavy good vehicles are banned from the roads during peak hours.
Out of 14 cyclists killed last year in London, nine were involved in accidents with HGVs.
At least two cyclists have died as a result of accidents in London this year.Bus depot manager Kevin Lane was killed in Woodford Green in February and retired teacher Michael Mason died in hospital last month, two weeks after an accident.