First cyclist death on 'superhighway'

A 58-year-old cyclist has become the first to be killed on one of the Mayor of London's flagship cycle superhighways after a collision with a tipper lorry.

The man was knocked off his bike during the morning rush hour on the roundabout at Bow flyover on Monday on one of the blue-painted superhighway routes, built to offer a safe and direct route into the city. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A male lorry driver has been arrested on suspicion of death by careless driving.

London Cycling Campaign say they had warned Transport for London about the potential danger for cyclists when the superhighway route was proposed, in particular about the movement of lorries.

A spokesperson for TfL said it was "extremely sorry to learn of the tragic death", adding: "Over the last year we have delivered initiatives like new roadside safety mirrors and awareness campaigns about the dangers of undertaking lorries".

A new "on bike" training course for freight drivers in the capital, and a new online safety guide for lorry drivers, will be introduced by the end of the year. The death is the 14th cycling fatality this year in London.