Mayoral hopeful David Lammy today led calls for a “bold” rush-hour ban on lorries in central London after the death of a woman cyclist in the City.
The Labour MP for Tottenham said he would consult on moving deliveries away from peak commuting times if he were elected to City Hall next year.
Seven out of the eight cyclist deaths in the capital this year involved collisions with lorries, including five at rush hour. Victims include Stephanie Turner, Moira Gemmill, Esther Hartsilver and the 26-year-old woman killed yesterday. Her name was being withheld as police try to trace her family.
Mr Lammy, who has confessed to being too scared to cycle during rush hour, said keeping lorries off the streets between the “crucial hours” of 7.30am and 9.30am, and then between 5pm and 6.30pm, could improve safety.
“My view is that only by banning HGVs from London during rush hour will we give cyclists the protection they need,” he said. “We’ve got to take bold decisions. Why can’t deliveries be made well into the night? There are some working practices London has got to change. Too often everything seems to stop at about 4.30pm.”
Transport for London is bringing in its Safer Lorries Scheme, which will ban HGVs without basic safety equipment, this September. Mr Lammy welcomed the scheme but said it did not go far enough.
Cyclists are preparing to hold two demonstrations demanding safety improvements. A 15-minute “flash protest” will be held by London Cycling Campaign at Bank junction at 8.30am tomorrow. A “die in” protest will be held by Stop Killing Cyclists at Bank at 5.30pm next Monday.
