The London Cycling Campaign has launched its Love London, Go Dutch campaign calling for the creation of the same kind of cycle and people-friendly streets that they have in the Netherlands.

Sign the petition now!

Your support will be used to persuade candidates in the 2012 London mayoral election to work towards a city where everyone can cycle and walk safely wherever they want - a London that's simply a nicer place for ordinary people to live, work and get around.

There will be events and rides over the coming months to promote this campaign and of course Tower Hamlets Wheelers will be getting involved. Join us to help London change for the better.

Bow Roundabout Update, Ken Livingstone visits Bow, Stuck in Tower Hamlets, Go Dutch - read now.

We have planned another of our popular weekends away, returning to our old favourite Palace Farm Hostel in Kent. See the Weekend Away page for more details.

This letter was originally published in a personal capacity in the 2nd December 2011 edition of Local Transport Today (subscription required), a fortnightly transport planning magazine.

On 24 October, Brian Dorling, 58, was killed whilst cycling eastbound along Barclays Cycle Superhighway (CSH) 2 at Bow roundabout, East London, adjacent to the Olympic park site. On 11 November, Svitlana Tereschenko, 34, was killed cycling on the same roundabout though travelling westbound. Both were hit by left-turning lorries as they attempted to head straight on.

On 22 November the Mayor of London met the deceased's families and announced a Transport for London investigation into HGV safety.

As a public relations drill to deflect blame from the poor design of sections of the cycle superhighways (CSH) this announcement is an exemplary exercise in professional crisis management by TfL.

Regarding these two deaths, London commuter cyclists who use this route regularly do not believe the issue lies solely with the vehicles concerned but with the shockingly bad CSH blue painted lane leading around the outside of the roundabout. This lane requires cyclists using it to pass across the northern roundabout exit lane leading to a slip road onto the A12 (A102M). The same applies on the southern side across the exit lane with cyclists again encouraged to aim towards a segregated section on the outside of the roundabout.

A competent cyclist (as one who uses this route needs to be) travelling east-west should be taking the centre line as they approach this roundabout, just as thousands of commuter cyclists have been doing every day for years. Since the painted blue CSH and associated filter lane have been implemented two cyclists have been killed at a similar spot.

There is an entire library of professional literature advising on how to deal with cyclists at roundabouts, from the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges to Cycle Infrastructure Design, which itself at para 9.8.1 states: "Keeping well to the nearside on the circulatory carriageway is the typical approach adopted by less confident cyclists, but this puts them in the most hazardous position for being hit by vehicles entering or leaving the roundabout. They are less visible to motorists entering the junction, and this is where most conflicts occur."

On CSH2 at the Bow roundabout where the two recent deaths have occurred this is the very position that the CSH positions the cyclist!

During site meetings prior to its implementation members of my group of London Cycling Campaign activists (Tower Hamlets Wheelers) specifically advised TfL officers against installing this type of facility at this site, as did independent consultants from Jacobs attending the same site meetings.

London cyclists have long recognised that TfL will not counter losing motor vehicle capacity over safe provision for vulnerable road users, which would have been the result at this site had the signalised system recommended by both cyclist stakeholders and Jacobs been implemented.

TfL has not made public the report in how it concluded the current Bow roundabout design was a workable solution, and how the comments of stakeholders and Jacobs came to be dismissed. It would be enlightening to read this report.

The Mayor and TfL‚s response to these deaths is, as noted, to announce a review of construction industry HGVs in London, and the press release did include a sub-announcement about a review of junctions.

While the issue of HGV operation and safety is not to be underestimated, and HGVs have been found responsible in a number of high-profile cyclists deaths in London recently, many of London's cyclists believe that in these two cases this is being used as, at best an opportunity to shift the blame for the recent deaths at Bow away from the design of the CSH and onto other vehicle users, at worst it is disingenuous and cowardly on the part of TfL.

This CSH2 is the closest route to the Olympic Park but last week TfL's director of better routes and places, Ben Plowden, said that cyclists heading to the Games would deliberately be directed away from this roundabout if they are riding to the Park; an open admission that this section of CSH2 does not provide the "safer, faster and more direct journey" that Cycle Superhighways have been introduced to provide.

The original London Cycle Network (LCN) plan made too much use of half-baked facilities relying on painted lanes, when that was scrapped the resulting London Cycle Network Plus proposed to do the same on a smaller scale.

That was scrapped in favour of the more PR-minded CSH, which uses much of the same routes as the LCN and LCN Plus but has, for the most part, simply changed the colour of the paint.

Whilst Bow roundabout has never been a good experience for cyclists to use I believe this junction could be made safer overnight simply by removing all of the existing CSH paint and filter route infrastructure and returning it to its condition prior to the installation of CSH measures.

TfL officers responsible for the design of this section of CSH need to apologise for this dreadful facility and immediately work to remove it and then install a safe design for all users. How to do this is sitting in a year-old report on their shelf.

Owen

Firstly, I would like to thank everybody involved in organising and spreading the word about the Candlelit Vigil at Bow Roundabout, I saw a lot of planning and organisation at very short notice, and with care and sensitivity.

Secondly, thanks everyone who attended, and those who spoke, and pledged their support in whatever way, in making sure this never happens again. In my mind, it was a very moving and necessary thing to do.

Even cycling down CS2 from Mile End, I was hating CS2 already, long before Bow Roundabout. I was not alone in saying this as we weaved in and out of traffic, around parked cars and buses. I would sooner this blue farce not be there.

I struggle to see what improvement this has actually made to anything.

Increasingly this shows TfL and the Mayor's "That'll do" mentality, where cyclists and pedestrians are treated as the lowest of the low:

"Let's slap some blue paint down... That'll do..."
"Let's stick a few signs up... That'll do..."
"The cheapest, easiest option... That'll do..."

With easily 200 people turning up on Friday evening, the message is loud and clear.

"Actually Boris and TfL: No, that won't f***ing do!"

It won't do.

It won't do for London, or any civilised city.
It won't do for the Olympics.
It won't do for local residents.
It won't do for getting people out of their cars.
It won't do for safer streets and pleasant urban spaces.
It won't do for our children and families we are trying to encourage to cycle.
It certainly won't do for the families who have lost loved ones.

May the Wheelers first Vigil also be the last.

Both of the victims' families were there, and at what is obviously an incredibly difficult time for them, had the courage to speak out. Most of us had no words we could say to them. I hope that our very presence said it all. That we ARE here, and we DO care.

I never want to stand by the side of the road again, listening to a grieving family describing how nothing could have prepared them for seeing the body of their loved one with horrific injuries.

Bluntly, these victims don't die peacefully in their sleep. Ending up under the wheels of a lorry and getting dragged under it is an absolutely horrific way to die, and absolutely avoidable.

We don't want to ever have to do this again, but if we have to do it again, we will do it again, and again, if that's what it takes to reverse the "That'll do" mentality - which could possibly be also described as negligent in the extreme, given that they have ignored all advice and warnings from LCC and others from the outset.

Thank you all again.

Rob
Coordinator
Tower Hamlets Wheelers

Local cycling groups Tower Hamlets Wheelers and Newham Cyclists are holding a candlelit vigil on Friday, 18th November from 6.00-7.00pm at Bow roundabout to pay our respects to the two cyclists who have died there in the last three weeks.

Brian Dorling died on Monday 24th October and an as yet unnamed female cyclist on Friday 11th November.  Both cyclists were hit by left turning tipper lorries as they moved onto the roundabout to continue their journeys, Brian was travelling east and the woman travelling west.

We look forward to the local community and cyclists coming together to commemorate these tragedies and support the need to make the roundabout safe for all users.

As part of the "Movers and Shakers" campaign, Wheelers have met with Conservatives councillors at the Town Hall. Whilst none were current cyclists, the local politicians for the Isle of Dogs were very keen to help promote cycling across the borough.

Folding Bromptons were greeted with awe and wonder and pre- sented as one way to help the busy councillors keep up with their hectic schedule. Brompton Bicycle Limited may be able to help provide this campaign with loan bikes linked to cycle training.

Local concerns were raised focused on bike security, cycling proficiency schemes in Tower Hamlets schools and the tragic deaths of cyclists. The Conservatives had high praise for our East London Cyclist newsletter and we agreed to make sure copies were sent to the Town Hall, as well as regular briefings by e-mail. We all agreed that through cooperation of every political group in LBTH, there could be bold improvements in cycling provision, and maybe our Mayor could exchange his Mercedes limousine for a cycle? The Conservatives gave hearty praise to their meetings with Mayor Johnson, who always arrived by bike!

Peter Golds, leader of the group, has already helped with our issues about the closure of the Greenwich foot tunnel. With Zara Emily Davis and David Snowdon, we discussed how LBTH carried out strategic development of cycling, working towards particular outcomes. Questions were asked on whether recent improve- ments and local campaigns were conducted on a piecemeal basis using short term funding or whether they were indeed part of a grander plan to help Tower Hamlets residents cycle more easily and safely. How was funding targeted to help cyclist from different groups? Was there any plan to help tenants store their cycles safely?

We will report back the latest findings from Mulberry Place as we make further progress.

Sad news reaches us that Bicycle Magic on Greatorex Street is to close down this week.

Ex-Wheelers co-ordinater Gary Cummins remembers "When Magic first opened in the early 1990s I went and made contact with them, it was called 'Magic Bike' back then.  The owner Scott had a business partner and the shop was a specialist in high end MTBs.  They even had their own MTB team, and competed at national level.

When Scott and his partner went their separate ways Bicycle Magic emerged and was one of the few suppliers of 'urban bikes' in the area i.e. bicycles which were sold with mudguards and racks.  So few back then were.

Scott also employed local lads, one of whom first cut his mechanic's teeth as a schoolboy helping in the old Wheelers' workshop in the railway arch at Limehouse."

Bicycle Magic had been a long time supporter of Wheelers including providing great discounts when stocking our workshop, donating prizes for our annual quizzes and sponsoring our newsletter for the past 5 years.

Good luck to Scott and his staff in whatever they get up to next.

Bad driving can now be reported on-line at www.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon.

NB If you wish to see a prosecution you will still need to attend a police station in person.  My advice is write your statement in advance and make sure either it is used directly or all the detail in it is incorporated into the statement taken at the station. (Same for any incident.)