London cycling deaths: we need action, not talk

After a succession of deaths on London's roads, Chris Harvey calls for genuine action to be taken to improve cycle safety. I cycled into a scene that every commuter dreads earlier this week. A fairly quiet junction in Spitalfields was filled with uniformed police, paramedics, cars, and ambulances attending to someone in the road. The main highway was cordoned off and it was instantly clear from the level of activity that it was serious. A shooting? A stabbing? Something awful.

If you cycle in London, you’ll know what my first thought was. A screen was being held up to hide the sight from view, and paramedics were moving behind it. Police were herding people away from the scene, as medics prepared to lift the victim. I felt sure it was a fatality. In fact, the screens hid a young woman cyclist who, as one early witness tweeted to chilling effect, had had to be “excavated” from beneath a car on its side. Her miraculous rescue - which was thanks to the fact that she was wearing a helmet and the swift actions of those at the scene who rushed to help lift the car - made the news the next day. She escaped with only a broken collarbone. It turned out to be a glimmer of light in a week of horror for cyclists.

My thoughts are with the cyclist who had to be excavated out from underneath this car in Spitalfields tonight. Five deaths in nine days. It sounds more like a bulletin from Afghanistan than a cycling statistic from London’s roads. Pressure groups like the London Cycling Campaign and CTC demanded action.

London’s mayor went on LBC to talk about the deaths and raised the issue of irresponsible cyclists: “When people make decisions on the road that are very risky – jumping red lights, moving across fast-moving traffic in a way that is completely unexpected and without looking to see what traffic is doing – it’s very difficult for the traffic engineers to second-guess that,” Boris Johnson said.

But then London’s roads have other problems that Johnson didn’t rail against. Its buses drive too fast; HGVs are on the same highways as rush-hour cyclists; cycle lanes peter out just as they reach corners, inviting vehicles to cut across them (the south side of Lambeth Bridge is a prime example); many cycle lanes are interrupted by parking bays; the mayor’s own cycling superhighways are not protected even on three-lane roads; and that's to name only a few.

There seems to be an active policy of stopping and fining red light jumping cyclists, yet I've not once seen a motorist warned about pulling into the green cyclist safety boxes at a junction. (I even had a chat with an ambulance driver about him doing this the other day.)

I don’t know about other urban cyclists, but from painful experience, I tend to cycle as though everyone around me is trying to kill me: cars, buses, lorries, pedestrians, pizza delivery men, and other cyclists too. I try to concentrate and anticipate the reckless manoeuvre, the unthinking step or door-opening, and the deliberate intimidation that can lead to disaster. I spook easy and keep my distance, but like all cyclists, I know that there are situations that are beyond my control.

It would be good to hear someone come out and say: this is what we are going to do to try to stop these deaths happening. But instead the debate around cycle safety still seems to be mired in political rhetoric.

The leader of Southwark Council Peter John called for a ban on HGVs during rush hour following the deaths this week. It was the second best bit of news I heard all week.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. The cyclist came across the accident on a busy road in London.

b. The victim was not seroiusly injured in the accident.

c. The London mayor thinks that motorists are responsible for the cycling accidents.

d. There is no strict policy for cyclists who jump red lights.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. What problems do London roads have according to the text?

b. What are some of the safety measures the reader takes as a cyclist?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. person who sees an accident  (para. 2)                           d.to talk (para. 4)

b. quick  (para. 2)                                                                 e. dangerous (para. 6)

c. surprising  (para.3)                                                     

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. If you cycle in London, you'll know what my first thought was.

    If you cycled...................

b. Police were herding people away from the scene.

    People......................

c. He said, “When people make decisions on the road that are risky, they can get killed.”

    He said that.................................

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

 In your opinion, what are the possible advantages and drawbacks of cycling in capital cities like London?