London Cycling Campaign activist calls for cars to be banned from parts of central London following the eighth cyclist death this year

He said it was "quite clear" that large vehicles should not be allowed on the busy and cramped roads of central London

Doug Bolton
Wednesday 24 June 2015 16:39 BST
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Nine cyclists have been killed on the streets of London this year
Nine cyclists have been killed on the streets of London this year ( Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

A cycling activist has called for cars to be banned from central London's busiest roads, following the tragic death of a cyclist at Bank junction on Monday.

Charlie Lloyd, campaigns officer for the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), told the Express: "In most European cities, crowded and historic roads like this one would only allow public transport."

Cities like Madrid, Copehagen and Paris have introduced car-free zones in recent years, which have helped reduce pollution and congestion.

He added: "We don't think there should be any motor vehicles here."

The junction where the unnamed cyclist died is notorious amongst road users of all kinds in London, due to the sheer volume of traffic that passes through its multiple intersecting roads every day.

She was the second cyclist to be killed in two days in London, following the death of Clifton James near his home early on Sunday morning.

The vehicle involved in the death of the cyclist was a tipper truck, a vehicle commonly involved in cyclist deaths in London.

Mr Lloyd, former HGV driver, said it was "quite clear" that large vehicles such as these should not be allowed on the cramped and busy streets of central London.

Cycling has boomed in London in recent times, with the number of daily bicycle journeys having doubled since the millennium. Despite the huge rise, cyclist deaths have steadily fallen, with a peak of 21 deaths in 2001.

However, since 2004, the number of cyclists sustaining serious injuries such as broken necks or severe head injuries has gone up, peaking at 657 in 2012.

So far, eight cyclists have been killed in London this year.

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