Transport chiefs issued an urgent safety plea today following the deaths of eight people in five days on London’s roads.
A cyclist in her twenties, crushed by a cement lorry in Battersea, was among the latest victims of the tragic spike in fatalities.
She was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene of the collision in Wandsworth Road at around 3pm yesterday.
Five motorcyclists, an elderly woman pedestrian and a car driver have also been killed since Sunday, taking the total number of road deaths to 64 this year.
They include 16 motorbike or scooter riders, many of them young Londoners, and 37 pedestrians. Last year road deaths fell to a record low of 110.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, Transport for London and the Metropolitan police have launched the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate all deaths on the the capital’s roads by 2041.
The woman cyclist, who has not been named, was the third killed in London this year. Within seconds there were people around her trying to help. Witnesses told how bystanders and medics battled in vain to save her.
The collision happened near the junction with Silverthorne Road, which residents said had been the scene of numerous crashes.
Stuart Reid, director of Vision Zero at TfL, said: “It has been an extremely tragic week for road fatalities. Tragedy on our roads should not be expected or tolerated and we are working hard to cut this down to zero — the only acceptable number.
“We need everyone in London, regardless of how you’re travelling, to take more care on the roads and be aware of the people around you.”
Other fatalities this week were:
- An 86-year-old woman involved in a collision with a coach in Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth, on Monday evening.
- A 25-year-old car driver died the same day after colliding with street furniture on the A13 in Dagenham.
- A 19-year-old scooter rider in St Margaret’s Road, Twickenham, after colliding with a lamppost on Sunday.
- A 35-year-old motorcyclist died in hospital eight days after colliding with a car in Hayes Lane, Kenley.
- On Wednesday evening a motorcyclist was killed in Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, following a car crash.
- A biker was killed at around 1.30pm yesterday in a collision with a van on the M4 at West Drayton.
- Last night a 37-year-old motorcyclist died at the scene in Wemborough Road, Stanmore, after colliding with a car at around 8.45pm. The other cyclist deaths this year were a 34-year-old man who collided with a car in Sutton Lane, Hounslow, and a man in his fifties who collided with a wall in West End Lane, West Hampstead. Both died in February.
The driver of the cement lorry stopped at the scene of the accident yesterday and was assisting police, the Met said.
A spokeswoman for London Concrete said: “It is with deep regret that we can confirm a vehicle owned and driven by a self-employed franchise haulier was involved in a fatal collision with a cyclist. Our sincerest sympathies go out to the family of the deceased. London Concrete are currently working closely with the authorities to fully investigate the incident.”
Detective Superintendent Andy Cox, from the Met’s Roads and Transport Command, said: “Every road death or serious injury is devastating for the victim’s family and friends. Through education and enforcement we must remind all road users of the importance of keeping themselves and others safe when on London’s roads.”
