Four cyclists dead in eight days and two more seriously injured - it's rush hour carnage on London's roads

 
Bow cyclist death. Picture: Robin Stephenson/ @aglet/ Twitter). PERMISSION GRANTED
14 November 2013

A cyclist was killed and another two were injured during the height of the morning rush hour today.

A woman died after being dragged under the wheels of a truck on Bow roundabout. Fifteen minutes later a second victim, who is fighting for his life, was hit by an HGV on Millbank in Westminster. Another woman was taken to hospital with injuries to her leg after colliding with a bus on Vauxhall Bridge an hour earlier.

Paramedics rushed to Bow at 8.45am but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She is the 12th cyclist to have been killed on London’s roads this year and the fourth in eight days.

Cyclist Robin Stephenson, 40, an IT manager who was riding to work past the scene, said: “The traffic was backing up from Stratford High Street. I went over the flyover and saw a huge number of emergency services down there.

“I commute that way every weekday but don’t use the roundabout — I won’t use it. The whole area is just dreadful. The only way that they will fix it is to have full segregation for cyclists.”

CYCLE AFTER A CRASH WITH A TRUCK IN MILBANK TODAY PICTURE JEREMY SELWYN 13/11/2013

An air ambulance was sent to the scene at Millbank at 9am and the victim, in his twenties, was airlifted to King’s College Major Trauma Centre suffering life-threatening abdominal, chest and pelvic injuries.

The woman hurt at Vauxhall Bridge was in her thirties and was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital.

A cyclist was killed yesterday after being trapped for 15 minutes beneath a 10-tonne bus. Witnesses and police frantically tried to free the victim as he lay beneath the front passenger doors following the crash outside East Croydon station. But it wasn’t until fire fighters arrived with a jack to elevate the No 410 that the victim was freed.

The 43-year-old was taken to St George’s Hospital, Tooting, but pronounced dead just over an hour later.

Ken Brockhouse, whose office overlooks the scene, said: “I was walking along and then I heard a crash and another woman who saw it started screaming. It was terrible.

“I could see his leg was sticking out from underneath where you board the bus and his head must have been more or less underneath where passengers stand to pay.

“He must have been hit with some considerable force because his shoes were left way behind towards the back of the bus about 15 yards from where he was laying. The bus driver was very panicked and everyone was just in shock.

“Police were asking him to move but he wasn’t speaking and he was bleeding from either his head or neck. The emergency services were there very quickly, but it was probably about 15 minutes before he was out.”

The victim was left fighting for life after the crash in Millbank Picture: Jeremy Selwyn

Paramedics were seen pumping the man’s chest for about 20 minutes following the crash just before noon at the junction between Cherry Orchard Road and Addiscombe Road. The driver, who was treated for shock, stopped and was not arrested.

The Standard yesterday revealed how fashion photographer Claire Pepper, 27, was rescued by a group of bystanders who lifted a VW Golf off her after a collision in Commercial Street, Spitalfields, on Monday night.

Cycle campaigners today questioned whether “highly confusing” traffic lights at Bow roundabout contributed to the cyclist’s death.

Changes introduced by Transport for London after the death of cyclist Brian Dorling at Bow roundabout two years ago allow cyclists to get an “early start” on other motorists.

They went “live” on the westbound approach to the roundabout eight days ago. Today Charlie Lloyd of the London Cycling Campaign said as he visited the site that the different sets of lights were “highly confusing” and caused repeated arguments between cyclists and drivers over which set to obey.

Police said the lorry had been travelling west on the A11 before turning left towards the Blackwall tunnel. The cyclist was also heading west, probably following the route of the Mayor’s CS2 cycle superhighway between Stratford and Aldgate.

Charlie Lloyd from the London Cycling Campaign, who came to the accident scene said: "This is very dangerous here, there are eight sets of lights and it is very confusing. The cycle superhighway is still leaving cyclists vulnerable."

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