More cycle deaths spark mirror call

The number of cyclist deaths on the streets of London has increased from 10 last year to 16 in 2011, and cycle safety is expected to feature strongly in the capital’s Mayoral elections in May.

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and chairman of the Transport Committee, said: “After so many cycle deaths this year on London’s roads and a rise in cyclists killed or hurt on roads across the UK as a whole, it is time for real action on making our roads safer for cyclists.

“In London we desperately need to take action at the most dangerous junctions. We also need to offer more training to both cyclists and lorry drivers, as well as the greater use of 20mph speed limits, especially in residential areas. Another much needed change would be ending the bureaucratic Whitehall restrictions on the introduction of safety mirrors at junctions.

“It is simply daft that the Secretary of State for Transport has to personally approve the implementation of each and every one of them. These mirrors help remove blind spots at dangerous junctions and are welcomed by both lorry drivers and cyclists. We need to quickly roll them out at hundreds of junctions.”

The London Assembly has been pressing for safety improvements at road junctions.