Ghost bike placed at vigil for Akis Kollaros

An estimated 2-300 people turned out last night for a vigil and die-in to commemorate cyclist Akis Kollaros who died after a collision with a tipper truck in East London on February 2.

Coordinated by campaign group Stop Killing Cyclists, the vigil included the placing of a ghost bike near the spot where Akis died, and speakers including Tom Kearney who was hit by a bus in 2009 and ended up in a coma.

He said: “It is so important to remember and honour these people and to inspire us to change the conditions so no more of these have to take place.”

Akis Kollaros (Source: GoFundMe)

Kearney called on London's traffic authorities and mayor Boris Johnson to take action to reduce road danger to vulnerable road users.

He said: "Boris you can’t ignore us. We’re not dead You can see us. You can hear us. You can remember us. Stop the Killing."

Assisting @StopKillingCycl at the Vigil in Homerton. A sad loss for all involved. Thank you for a peaceful demo #GDSE pic.twitter.com/kobKhxRzp4

— Hackney MPS (@MPSHackney) February 9, 2015

A 34-year-old originally from Greec, Akis Kollaros was a music producer and sound engineer, and a member of the London Dynamo cycling club. The driver of the lorry has helped police with their enquiries, but no arrests have been made.

Lorries of any description make up just 4 per cent of London's traffic, but account for around half of cyclist deaths in the city.

Among those fatalities, tipper trucks are by far the most common type of lorry involved.

In September, London's Safer Lorries Scheme will ban HGVs without cyclist safety equipment from the capital.