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news
Video: Stop the Killing die-in frees Oxford Street from traffic
Hundreds of people campaigning for safer roads for cyclists and pedestrians yesterday walked along Europe’s busiest shopping as a procession headed by a horse-drawn hearse made its way to Marble Arch, where a die-in was held.
The National Funeral for the Unknown Victim of Road Violence – symbolised by the empty coffin the hearse bore – was organised by the group Stop Killing Cyclists and its off-shoot, Stop the Killing. Leaving Bedford Square at noon, it reached its destination about an hour later.
People out doing early Christmas shopping as well as tourists stopped to watch the march go past, many asking what was going on and adding their support to the campaign to make London’s roads safer for the city’s most vulnerable road users.
Cyclists and pedestrians of all ages were represented at the protest, some carrying white flowers that were later placed on top of the coffin, and many with home-made banners.
Once at Marble Arch, under overcast skies and very light rain, they heard from a succession of speakers, several of whom had been directly affected by being injured on the streets, or through the loss of a loved one.
They included Tom Kearney, who tweets as @comadad, and who has been campaigning for a safer Oxford Street ever since he was hit by a bus – police initially thought he was dead – there shortly before Christmas 2009.
The family of student Marie Vesco, who was killed in Sussex while cycling to the coast with friends a fortnight before her 20th birthday, had travelled from France.
Her mother Dominique made perhaps the day’s most emotive speech, including describing her feelings as she took a late-night phone call in June 2008 to learn her daughter had been killed.
Experts also addressed the crowd, including Professor Brendan Delaney of King’s College London, who spoke of how making streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists would lead to people becoming more active and less air pollution.
He said that would not only help avoid thousands of premature deaths each year, but would also relieve pressure on the NHS, a point repeated by actuary Andrew Smith, who began his speech by revealing he cycles each day to his office at Ludgate Circus – site of the deaths of two cyclists this year, both killed in collisions with lorries.
A senior police officer road.cc spoke to put the numbers taking part in the procession and die-in at around 300, and said that the atmosphere had been good-natured, with the main problem on Oxford Street caused by a broken-down bus travelling in the opposite direction.
He added police were impressed with the approach of the organisers, who had worked well with them to ensure everything went smoothly.
The 10 demands sought by Stop Killing Cyclists and Stop The Killing were outlined at the rally. They are:
1. STOP KILLING CHILDREN – Set up national multi-billion pound programme to convert residential communities across Britain into living-street Home Zones to abolish dangerous rat-runs.
2. STOP KILLING PEDESTRIANS – Establish a national programme to fund pedestrianisation of our city and town centres, including the nation’s high-street – Oxford Street.
3. STOP KILLING PENSIONERS – From excessive speed – introduce and enforce speed limit of 20 mph on all urban roads, 40 mph on rural roads/lanes and 60 mph on all other trunk roads.
4. STOP KILLING CYCLISTS – Invest £15 billion in a National Segregated Cycle Network over the next 5 years.
5. STOP KILLINGS BY HGVs – Ban trucks with blind spots by making safety equipment mandatory and strictly enforce current truck-safety regulations to reduce levels of illegally dangerous trucks down from estimated 30% to less than 1%.
6. STOP KILLINGS WITHOUT LIABILITY – Introduce a presumed civil liability law on behalf of vehicular traffic when they kill or seriously injure vulnerable road-users, where there is no evidence blaming the victim.
7. STOP KLLING WITH POLLUTION – Stop the Killing from Lung, Heart and other Diseases caused by vehicular pollutants - make it mandatory for particulate filters that meet latest EU emission standards to be fitted to all existing buses, lorries and taxis.
8. STOP KILLING AT JUNCTIONS – Stop the Killing at Junctions - introduce pedestrian crossing times long enough for elderly disabled to cross. Legalise filtered junction crossings by cyclists with strict legal priority for pedestrians and carry out urgent programme of physically protected left-hand turns for cyclists.
9. STOP KILLING WITH CO2 – Stop the Killing from CO2 emissions from impacts of the climate crisis - all transport fuels to be from environmentally-sustainable renewable sources within 10 years.
10. STREETS FIT FOR HUMANS! – Focus on Life! Transport governance must make safety and quality of life the top priority. Reform all council transport departments, the Department of Transport and Transport for London into Cycling, Walking and Transport Departments with formal pedestrian and cyclist representation.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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26 comments
People will need to do whatever it takes, repeatedly, to make this happen. I'm sure the Dutch in the 1970s did get their way from making a single protest?
To those comparing it to 'stop the war' its always more direct when the protest involves our own citizens being KSI on our own streets by our own citizens driving motor vehicles, rather than voluntary combatants being killed overseas in profitable, illegal wars ( i am ex-military and had many family members serve before you ask...)
I don't know if it will achieve anything, but I went to it because I figured the tut-tutting and arguing on social media and signing endless petitions didn't feel like enough. It was a fun thing to do as well (though sombre and moving at times), but also an afternoon in the company of like-minded individuals, many of whom I found to be inspiring. I hope this becomes an annual event and that the numbers grow and grow until it can't be ignored.
I know what you mean, but I hope we never need to repeat it, although I suspect that we will.
IIRC, BandAid was as much about raising awareness as money, so in that context it was also political.
Erm, no.
I said it was a worthy cause.
I questioned the effectiveness of this kind of event.
I compared it to the Band Aid thing because 'events' in this day and age can be attended and then fall from consciousness very easily.
I didn't start the insults, or the pissing contest.
Your contribution has been to call me a wanker. Thanks.
Actually, it was me that called you a wanker, and a miserable one at that.
Lets go through those one claims of yours one by one shall we?
A worthy cause you say but you questioned the ineffectiveness?
I would say thats pretty much a dismissal, rather than a questioning of its effectiveness.
Despite BandAid occurring just under 30 years ago so would it qualify for "this day and age", seeing as how another generation has come along?
As bikebot pointed out, BandAid was a fundraiser where this was about a political campaigning.
As for the attitude that its 'slacktivism' is unfounded really. All the people I know who are involved in the campaign, have been from the start and put a lot of energy into it. They are also generally involved in campaigns elsewhere. Generally they are people who I would describe as "giving a fuck". Not quite fitting the dismissive image that you have tried to portray.
Au contraire!
and
And the pissing competition?.... well....
Want to play? You dont play well with others and whine like a bitch when others play with you.
stop the war march didnt achieve anything. Dictators everywhere must be laughing all the way to the bank over our charitable giving. Somoza just sent it straight to Switzerland. This list of demands is simply laughable. Although less so than the road.cc comments page.
There's a lot of people within the Labour party that who would disagree. When you go against that many people, the voters wrath can last for many, many years.
We'll put you down for the march demanding more blue paint and hi-viz vests for all then.
Just seen that Halfords tweeted this yesterday:
Dreadful timing.
Have replied with #ulostacustomer - I won't be shopping there again, neither for car or bike.
edit: more erudite replies than mine showing up at https://twitter.com/Halfords_uk/status/534055358625370112
I wonder if their new 13 range of bikes will have a mount for registration plates...
Europe's busiest shopping street? Is that why there are always shops closing down, why most of the shops sell cheap tourist tat or crappy leather jackets and why no-one I know ever shops there?
I didn't even know this was happening.
A motor vehicle free, Oxford street in London would be a wonderful thing to behold
Currently? It's a disgusting, polluted and frightening environment to navigate either on foot or bicycle. Many, largely empty buses plough up and down, joined by black taxis and other vehicles, threatening to crush any overspill from the huge numbers of pedestrians on the overcrowded pavements. This does not provide an environment conducive to shopping, but somewhere to "get in, and get out" as quickly as possible.
Considering its supposed to be a prime shopping location, how this has not been pedestrianized is beyond me? Yes, it will displace some bus route, and deliveries to the retail stores would need to be rethought (during the small hours?) but time to make Oxford Street vehicle free are long overdue.
If you've witnessed the "car free" Christmas shopping days they've had over the years, it shows you how it could be.. and turn the former road into a wider pavements with coffee kiosks, street performers and so on.
Good point hb.
I was there on Saturday and although I'm in town most weeks for one reason or another, this was the first time in years that I've travelled down Oxford St. Normally I wouldn't go near it, it's a really uninviting place.
Not sure why someone is talking about Band Aid, this is a political campaign not a fundraiser.
Campaigns absolutely are part of the process of changing mindsets and political opinion. The evidence is right before you, from gay marriage to women voting. It's also what the Dutch did to instigate the change in their transport policy. They are a nation of cyclists today largely because of those protests back in the 70's.
I would expect that just about anyone reading this article will have seen this before, but for those who need a reminder of the Dutch campaigns, watch this again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o
Well I've been insulted by a leaflet jockey...
You miss the point in your urge to be radical. I'm suggesting that it's easy to protest about and easy to ignore. Easy for everyone who is not a cyclist or everyone who is otherwise unconnected to ignore. Hence the Band Aid comment.
I've been at work today.
On an Intensive Care Unit.
Still want to play?
Oh it insulted you, good as it's clear you like to look down on people, nowt wrong with handing out leaflets to get support. In case you can't score well in reading comprehension it wasn't a demo for cyclists but all people.
So keyboard warrior has a job, me too. Suppose you want a prize for working in ICU? I look after people for a living too yet feel no need to use that to make myself feel more important than the wonderful people that do the menial thankless tasks. All of those things keep the world spinning. I'll add arrogance to your CV.
You state that youre a cynical, berate people for doing something, denigrate any action someone takes then turn it in to a pissing competition.
What a miserable wanker you are.
It takes a real talent to suck out the goodwill connected to working in an intensive care unit so I guess you should be commended for that.
Do tell us about your personal attempts to stick it to the Man, Citizen Smith...
This is about you inferring that people should do nothing as there's bigger issues elsewhere and you know the words... It's not about someone like me who felt moved enough to do something. For what it's worth in this case I helped with a few items logistically and prior to the event handed out leaflets to cycle commuters & put a few posters up around Southwark & Lambeth. That's the sum total, i was a volunteer lackey.
So in the words of another song... 'What have you done today to make you feel proud?'
A good and worthy cause, but I can't help thinking of Band Aid. I know the words to the song, but Africa is still a mess.
Maybe I'm an old cynic, maybe I'm realistic, but this kind of demo is easy to go to, easy to support and easy to ignore.
Yup there are problems elsewhere, in Africa for example, ok, well we still got problems here to sort out, no? I'd love to know what other kind of demo you've seen and easily ignored and how it can compare to this one. I think the impact and press coverage have been immense, the gravitas added by having a horse drawn hearse, coffin and piper, made many of those who saw this on Oxford Street ask what was going so they must have stopped their days to thing about the impact of traffic violence on society.
The sheer quantity of photos and videos shot by onlookers beggars belief too. Did you see how amazing a vehicle-less Oxford street looked in the Evening Standard's coverage? (front cover of online news section right now)... All this delivered by grass roots activists that are self funded and are purely asking for safer streets. IMHO made a bigger impact than countless other car/cyle/city/environment 'safety' charities and all their manpower, cash and dull arsed events with no doubt a back slapping bullshit black-tie dinner.
So yeah, we can confirm you are not only a pathetic cynic but also an apathetic oldie. Well done, wear that badge with pride. Or, why not come out and join the people who have the temerity to want to shape a better future for us all.
That video is really affecting. The sheer scale of the thing is hard to glean from the pictures. It's heartening to see so many people - so many different people - taking the issue so seriously. I hope this gets the momentum it deserves.
Wish I had not been at work (in a bicycle shop!), otherwise I would have joined this protest.
Its going to take repeated actions like this to build enough social pressure to force the authorities to start taking these issues seriously. Similar to the actions in the Netherlands in the 1970s to stop the "child murder" on the roads.
Currently? it seems that we hear a lot of "talk" from politicians, but little is being done, or in a timely manner. Look at Boris in London with his empty promises about the Cycle Super highways and dangerous junctions.
We really need to start moving away from car culture, which has dominated UK transport planning for decades, especially in town and city centres, and make these back into living spaces so we can all walk, run and cycle, or use wheelchairs
It seems that death and serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists (as well as other drivers) are just seen as an accepted part and parcel of transport dominated by motor vehicles, which is utter madness when you really think about it!
Fascinating to see the video, I can't believe how long it takes for the stream of people to pass the camera.
Someone asked on an earlier discussion whether this weekend was appropriate timing. My response is: absolutely, very much so!
As well as deaths don't forget those who live the rest of their lives with injuries and trauma. In 2013 there were 1,713 deaths and 21,657 serious injuries. Some of those will have devastating consequences, something I've seen first hand.
Video of the event - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_df3tSQim0
From 2:48 is brilliant, not something you see everyday.