Family of cyclist killed at Ludgate Circus call for swift safety improvements

The parents of a woman who died in a cycling accident in London last week have called for more to be done to protect cyclists.

Twenty-six-year-old Janina Gehlau died after being in collision with a left-turning lorry on Friday at Ludgate Circus, on the same junction where another cyclist died in April.

The junction, where six cyclists were killed or seriously injured between 2008 and 2012, lies along the proposed North-South cycle superhighway route whose designs were released by Transport for London in September.

Gehlau's mother, Andrea Tasic,  said authorities needed to take swift action.

She told BBC News:  "They need to seize this opportunity because this issue is affecting parents who are losing children on the streets of London. The city has got to stop it.

"The whole mentality needs to change and road users need to be more considerate to each other. Of course we do not know what happened in this case, but messaging around cycle safety and HGVs is not getting through."

Victor Manuel Ben Rodriguez died in April at Ludgate Circus while on his way to a job interview.

The fatalities have led to stronger criticism of Canary Wharf Group’s opposition to the segregated cycle routes, which some business leaders fear will slow car journeys. Campaigners say that keeping motorised traffic separate from cyclists would remove the risk of collisions of this nature.

A recent YouGov poll showed most Londoners support the proposed routes, as calls grow from businesses to make London’s roads safer for those who already cycle and for those who want to but are afraid to.

London Cycling Campaign’s Chief Executive, Ashok Sinha, said there is every possibility the routes could go ahead quickly once the consultation ends on November 9. He added the level of support the schemes have seen give the mayor a “massive mandate” to go ahead with the routes.

A protest march is being held on 15 November in Bedford Square, London, organised by Stop the Killing, calling for national action on road safety for adults and children who walk and cycle, as well as action on air pollution.

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