A man believed to be in his 60s has died after being hit by a lorry early this afternoon in London.
Police were called to the junction of Camberwell Road, and Albany Road, SE5, by London Ambulance Service at 12:07 today.
Officers attended and found the male cyclist suffering serious injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.37hrs. Next of kin have not yet been informed.
The male driver of the lorry stopped at the scene and has not been arrested at this time.
Detectives from the Road Death Investigation Unit have been informed. Enquiries continue.
Victim of last Wednesday's fatal crash identified
This is the sixth cycling fatality on London’s roads in less than two weeks and brings the death toll in London for the year to 14, the same as the total for 2012.
In the last fatal incident, late last Wednesday, a male cyclist was hit by a double decker bus in Whitechapel.
That rider has now been identified as a 21-year-old from NW6, but the Metropolitan Police have not yet released his name.
Next of kin have been informed and formal identification has taken place, but police say that they will not be naming the victim ahead of the opening of the inquest at Poplar Coroner's Court.
44 thoughts on “Sixth London cycling death this month as man in his 60s is hit by lorry in Camberwell”
WTF is going on in London?
WTF is going on in London?
Tell me this isn’t happening.
Tell me this isn’t happening. How can lives be sacrificed in this way on our roads and so little done to protect vulnerable road users? Deepest sympathy to family and friends of those who have lost their lives in this needless way.
bedethe builder wrote:How can
Because Londoners voted for a mayor that thinks as long as you keep your wits about you, youll be ok, that cyclists bring their own deaths upon themselves and that the super rich are a put upon minority
zanf wrote:bedethe builder
Because “some” Londoners
northstar wrote:zanf
Because “some” Londoners— bedethe builder
More than voted against him. Being as that’s how an election works and all.
On a more serious note, more terrible news. It doesn’t seem to be hitting home to those who make policy that every one of these statistics is a son or daughter to someone.
merckxissimo wrote:northstar
Because “some” Londoners— zanf
More than voted against him. Being as that’s how an election works and all.
On a more serious note, more terrible news. It doesn’t seem to be hitting home to those who make policy that every one of these statistics is a son or daughter to someone.— bedethe builder
Actually, if you look at the votes, more did not vote for him than did. Firstly, there was only a 38% turnout, so 62% didnt vote for him.
There were 2,208,475 votes counted (40,210 rejected on 1st preference, 445,466 rejected on 2nd preference, for various reasons such as ‘unmarked’, ‘uncertain’ or voting too many’).
Out of 1st preference votes, 1,236,544 didnt vote for him.
So thats how elections work….
[Source]
merckxissimo wrote:
More than
Humph!
Mostly outer-Londoners! Who just see inner London as a place to drive through as quickly as possible!
Bring back the LCC!
Oh – though maybe shouldn’t go so off-topic on a thread like this, sorry!
Another tragedy. The toll is starting to look very grim indeed. Surely its not going to go on like this for the rest of the year?
FluffyKittenofTindalos
Humph!
Mostly outer-Londoners! Who just see inner London as a place to drive through as quickly as possible!
Bring back the LCC!
Oh – though maybe shouldn’t go so off-topic on a thread like this, sorry!— merckxissimo
I didn’t even get a vote, as I live outside the ‘London’ boroughs. But I’d have voted for Boris – bear in mind that the alternatives were Red Ken and, er…
The fact is, whoever is in charge has a wide range of conflicting priorities. For what it’s worth I think Boris would quite happily close large numbers of roads to be used as cycle-only routes – but he is also (quite rightly) very protective of the economic strength of the City and London as a whole – and unfortunately, construction and HGV traffic is part of that.
Me? I’d ban cars from a large central area and have trams/trolleybuses and autonomous driverless mini-taxis. Force everyone to walk, cycle, tube and so on. It’d never work.
Gizmo_ wrote:
I didn’t even
You seriously believe that? Boris does whatever the hell Boris thinks will make him most popular – a few soundbites here and there to get people to shut up until the storm has blown over and that’s exactly what we’re seeing here although I really think he’s underestimated the strength of feeling here and that it *may* not work this time.
He’s an absolute arse of a man – even by politicians standards
VeloPeo wrote:Gizmo_ wrote:
I
You seriously believe that? Boris does whatever the hell Boris thinks will make him most popular – a few soundbites here and there to get people to shut up until the storm has blown over and that’s exactly what we’re seeing here although I really think he’s underestimated the strength of feeling here and that it *may* not work this time.
He’s an absolute arse of a man – even by politicians standards— Gizmo_
You have to forgive Gizmo’s naivety. They obviously havent really examined Johnsons history beyond his carefully crafty media personality.
Prior to his re-election, he was scornful of anyone who spoke about bringing Dutch style solutions to Londons (and the UK’s) infrastructure. Through campaigns such as Londoners On Bikes, he signed up to the “Love London, Go Dutch” ethos yet has continuously used every dirty trick with putting off actually doing anything outside of what they (TfL backed by him) were doing before.
What needs to happen is that people now start protesting on a regular basis, shutting down lethal junctions, quit thinking that the LCC is going to get anything done with its passive, non-disruptive methods or with signing petitions (Sorry but Johnson will ignore the fuck out of them while paying lip service to make you think he cares), and start causing as much disruption as possible.
The time for “peaceful” protest is over: people (pedestrians and cyclists) are being killed on our streets on an all too frequent basis and nothing is going to change until there is a paradigm shift in how our transport systems are organised and being “peaceful” and “nice” just doesnt cut it anymore.
Have a look on u tube on the
Have a look on u tube on the close shaves cyclists get with motorists when they jump out of their cars trucks taxis ,they have no thought on their actions ,to them cyclists are a hindrance not human beings that can be hurt/killed etc the law needs to change and fast kill someone with a gun and your a murderer use a vehicle and seems fair game..
Can’t wait to listen to
Can’t wait to listen to (D)nick Ferrari on LBC (London Bashing Cyclists) stating in his infinite wisdom another cyclist at fault! Ignoramus.
Condolences to the family and friends.
Tripod16 wrote:Can’t wait to
As a cyclist myself: you have absolutely no idea who was at fault for any of the recent bike accidents, it’s perfectly possible that all 6 were the cyclist’s fault.
Agreed! RIP!
It’s shocking and sad, but
It’s shocking and sad, but there must be some data to help figure what can/should be done. For these (and indeed any injury or death) is there information on;
– was the cyclist not following the Highway Code?
– was the vehicle driver not following the Highway Code?
– what time of day was the incident?
– did the cyclist have full front and rear lights and rear reflector?
– was the cyclist dressed to be seen?
– was the driver on the ‘phone (or some other version of not paying attention)?
– are there particular characteristics of the road or the junction where it happened?
– was the driver breaking the speed limit?
– was the cyclist using a pedestrian crossing or feature etc. to ride on?
There will be more I’m sure, but data behind all of these terrible incidents must drive the debate, otherwise it becomes a mindless ‘lycra lout’ vs ‘idiot driver’ shouting match.
If there was a decent
If there was a decent segregated path to cycle on, then all these become fairly irrelevant.
The point is that on the roads people will make mistakes. If you have sht roads then these mistakes kill people. If you have decent roads then they don’t.
Gemianini wrote:It’s shocking
If there was a decent segregated path to cycle on, then all these become fairly irrelevant.
The point is that on the roads people will make mistakes. If you have sht roads then these mistakes kill people. If you have decent roads then they don’t.
Another sad day.
I don’t
Another sad day.
I don’t actually care whether the cyclist of the vehicle is at fault. Some accidents will be one way, some the other. All of them are unacceptable.
This is a horrible junction.
This is a horrible junction. It looks quite innocuous but it’s actually very dangerous. I’ve made the turning into Albany Road from Camberwell Road (and vice versa) many times. Both ways it’s a sharp turn between two roads that are really too narrow for the heavy duty vehicles that use them and it’s easy to see how a cyclist could not be seen here. Further up where Camberwell Road becomes Walworth Road, the road was actually narrowed even further to speed up traffic flow. It has had the opposite effect (from my research taking the bus up there when the bike’s out) and now squeezes everyone together. I avoid it on the bike and using side streets instead but many take the risk of riding up these roads so the road scheme really needs to be looked at again to assess cyclists’ and pedestrians’ safety.
So sad that yet another cyclist has lost their life here. My deep sympathies are with the cyclist’s family and friends.
FWIW I didn’t vote for him
FWIW I didn’t vote for him and I won’t vote for him in the next election. The only Mayoral candidate to really take cycling seriously in the capital has been Jenny Jones so that’s where I’ll be putting my cross if she stands again.
And Christian Walmar.
And Christian Walmar.
Another one just hit in
Another one just hit in Camden. https://twitter.com/search?q=camden%20cyclist&src=typd no news on his/her condition
ragtag wrote:Another one just
Just seen that they were taken to hospital with non-life threatening head injuries.
https://twitter.com/markbikeslondon/status/402483492568567809
Oh man, shitty as. Two a week
Oh man, shitty as. Two a week dying.
Have any of the recent cases of cyclist dying gone for prosecution of anyone?
I suspect they won’t. Knocking an adult cyclist off and killing them is acceptable it seems, bet that would change if it were a kid.
As cyclists we need to
As cyclists we need to realize we are invisible.. Think this way and you will “help” protect yourself. (I don’t mean act a victim waiting to happen.) Use bright flashing lights day and night. Make sure we signal clearly – follow the highway code – no red light jumping. No erratic fast maneuvers. Stay away from large vehicles and look for trouble to avoid etc etc.. We are always going to be the more fragile of all the road users. I am not saying that any of the deaths were because some of the recent fatalities were careless etc. I am not saying it was cyclists, drivers or even a third party fault.. (we don’t have reports and witness statements. A pedestrian on foot could easily cause a cyclist to swerve into a motor vehicle..)
Yes we need the authorities to assist in making things safer. Yes drivers of all motor vehicles need education and awareness. Yes cyclists need the same too. BUT let’s no lose sight that more bikes on the roads will obviously lead to a higher number of fatalities and accidents. Damp roads won’t help either.
We all need to be smart and acknowledge motorized vehicles will fair better than those in lesser protected forms of transport when the two come together.
I have ridden past 2 motorcycle accidents caused by cars in the last few weeks on damp roads. (One this morning at 7.30 in Regents Park – where our cycle club member with medical knowledge waited for the ambulance while we warned traffic to stop with our bike lights.) It’s not all one sided.. we as road users need to work together but also realize we as cyclists are always going to be the most vulnerable in an accident. I will still ride in London.. I will still have two flashing lights both front and rear while I will still be told by other cyclists “it’s light why have you got your lights on?” These same people tend not to have helmets on and have music playing through headphones… I don’t think “it will never happen to me” but I will try my best to avoid that day and others using the road avoid “that day.”
I thought some London
I thought some London politician just recently said London was on its way to becoming a car-free city? More like a cycle-free city, once we’re all dead…
Has poor atmospheric light
Has poor atmospheric light been an issue in any of these do we know? If these were 6 drug deaths in 2 weeks due to a dodgy batch of heroin, or 6 murders, there would be an immediate critical incident management team set up to investigate, warn and take whatever steps are possible to prevent further deaths.
dtb200 wrote:Has poor
honestly, really, honestly are you serious?
Well I’m serious but poorly
Well I’m serious but poorly written by myself! What I meant to say was…
1 is anyone doing a specific epidemiological analysis of these deaths to see if there is a common factor, other than a ‘cyclist’ and a ‘HGV’ involved in a tragic outcome? This would be done for other clusters of unexpected deaths.
2 personally I’ve felt less safe cycling in the past 2 weeks, partly I think due to the overcast, dull days, clocks going back, early nights, etc and I think it takes all road users time to adjust to autumnal conditions. I’m not saying this excuses any wrong doing / poor driving/riding, it’s just an opinion.
And of course, I am so sorry that another life has been lost and would support decisive action toprevent further deaths.
dtb200 wrote:Well I’m serious
As a life-long motorcyclist & cyclist, I agree with most of this. November always sees a spike in the number of accidents (I think for all road users), but tragically more vulnerable users come off worst. And we don’t yet know the facts of these awful deaths.
But most motorcyclists learned long ago that ‘smidsy’ should always be assumed and that, if you are a vulnerable road user, you don’t put yourself into high-risk positions. Too often, I see cyclists putting themselves in crazy places. Like tonight on Birdcage Walk, people cycling in the dark, in dark clothes, with no lights… Do enough cyclists understand the risks? Would you like expensive compulsory training and a staged license..?
Ye Gods, take responsibility for your safety – you can’t wait for the mayor to do it for you! It’s no consolation to be in the right if you are dead or injured. Let’s get our house in order AS WELL AS pressing for sensible, proportionate safety measures.
Neil Smith 48 wrote:Like
I must admit, this has been irritating me in recent days. I was on holiday when the clocks went back, and I’ve come back to it being dark by rush hour. The amount of cyclists I see in dark clothes, no lights, etc simply makes me despair. I’ve mentioned it to a couple I’ve passed, but it just seems to go straight over their heads.
In this recent spate of sad cases, I haven’t seen anything to suggest this was a factor (or not yet anyway) but we really do have to help ourselves out there. We know that so many motorists see us as an inconvenience, so it’s even more important to at least be an ‘inconvenience’ that can be seen.
I have to agree with Tripod16
I have to agree with Tripod16 and the rhetoric of Ferrari on LBC. The number of callers with an anti-cyclist rant is in part due to the actions of riders who in their view disobey the Highway Code. Then they get one caller who admitted jumping red lights in order to go faster.
Condalences to the family and friends of the victim.
RIP and hope the Lorry driver
RIP and hope the Lorry driver is ok as well. Sadly if you look at the pictures from the article on the dailymail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509314/Sixth-cyclist-just-weeks-killed-Londons-roads-collision-lorry.html I think most of us can tell what probably happened.
I’ve been a long term cyclist and I still see far too many cyclists taking risks when it comes to lorries, rightly or wrong it is never worth going up the side of a lorry no matter what the lorry seems to be doing.
I mean last week a lorry was at the traffic lights with a cycle lane on the left and he wasn’t signalling to turn but I still waited behind just in case but that didn’t stop three cyclists on racing bikes going round the right side of the lorry with the last one only just getting in front of the lorry since the lights had gone green and it had pulled away.
We certainly need various road changes but this has to go hand in hand with cyclists taking a greater responsibility since as we are the smallest and least protected we stand to lose the most in most accidents.
embattle wrote:RIP and hope
Help me out. What are we assuming from those pictures?
Last 2 rides home I’ve nearly
Last 2 rides home I’ve nearly been taken out by drivers.
despite having reflective overshoes, ankles, backs of thighs, rucksack, 2 rear lights (1 solid and 1 flashing) and a pair of exposure front lights!
just beggars belief that such douche bags still have a license!
Hoping to not hear about any more deaths this year!
Quote:But most motorcyclists
I’m not sure the training, like motorcyclists have, would necessarily help, since despite all the training and licensing and lights etc.. using a motorbike in London is twice as dangerous as cycling
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/safe-streets-for-london.pdf
Motorcycles accounted for one per cent of daily journeys, but 21 per cent of KSI casualties in London in 2011
• Pedal cycles accounted for two per cent of daily journeys, but 20 per cent of KSI casualties in London in 2011
ribena wrote:Quote:But most
Ribena, I agree that motorcycling is more dangerous than cycling, but my point is that motorcycling casualties have fallen with better compulsory training. Could we see bureaucrats deciding that cyclists too should have compulsory training? The KSI rate may be half that of motorcycling, but it’s still pretty appalling.
As an advanced (IAM) motorcyclist, I am safer. I know what the high-risk situations are and I avoid them (half of London’s cycling deaths in recent years are from being on the inside of a lorry). I have better anticipation & better positioning. Crucially, compared to a cyclist, I can accelerate out of trouble & keep up with fast moving traffic.
How many cyclists – vulnerable road users with a high casualty rate – have EVER had any training?
Neil Smith 48 wrote:
How many
The AA, the Metropolitan Police, Westmister Council and the University of Monash (Oz) have looked at fault in bike/car accidents. They all found that around 75% to 80% are the fault of the driver. If training is the answer, then it is drivers who need more of it.
So, without training, cyclists perform better.
As a cyclist I would guess you know why this is. Anyone who is remotely in touch with reality feels vulnerable on a bike in traffic. Whereas a driver feels much more secure with his airbag, seat belt, steel cage. In a marginal situation on the road who has most incentive to avoid a collision?
I think you are missing the
I think you are missing the point. If half the deaths in London are from being on the inside of lorries, then it seems obvious to me that position is dangerous, regardless of fault. So don’t do it.
I do think training for cyclists has an important role to play. As for drivers, yes if course they can be at fault, but what’s better – being in the right but injured, or having learnt, through training, that riding smarter will reduce the risk of an accident?
I’m not going to wait for others to improve their driving, I’m going to improve my cycling safety and enjoyment.
Neil Smith 48 wrote:I think
When cyclists get caught alongside a left turning vehicle it is not always the cyclist’s fault. I have twice had overtaking vehicles turn left across me before getting clear ahead. One was a bus which began turning as the driver drew level with me! Luckily I was not squeezed into railings in either case.
I repeat. If threequarters of the fault lies with the driver, it makes most sense to start with more training for the driver. If training could remove say 50% of accidents then training the driver would cut cycling casualties by half of 75%, which is 37.5%. Training the cyclist would remove half of 25% of accidents, that is 12.5%. These figures are obviously very rough, but I’m sure you can grasp the logic. If training is effective, it will be much more effective if given to drivers.
I have not waited for better driving to happen before riding as defensively as I can, The figures on blame in accidents show that most cyclists have not waited either.
We all make mistakes, but the figures show that drivers, for some reason, make a lot more than riders. This is in spite of drivers having to train to pass a test.
to the 6th cyclist killed, my
to the 6th cyclist killed, my heart felt condolenses go out to your family, may you RIP.
on another note –
i love the fact that boris johnson today made a statement that “wearing headphones on a bike should be banned”, even though none of the 6 recent deaths have been atributed to wearing headphones!
way to go boris, jump on the victim blaming band wagon why dont you!
idiot!
Yes, I recognise that
Yes, I recognise that situation and it’s scary. I would say it’s helped by better positioning ie don’t wait by the kerb to turn left but stay out far enough to make the vehicle stay behind you. That works if you’re there first! If you’re there second, don’t go up the inside.
Better to avoid the problem whilst we wait for driver awareness to improve… But driver aggression IS an issue!
Neil Smith 48 wrote:Yes, I
You are right. I move out a little at junctions when there is a vehicle behind, and when a vehicle which should give way to me on the major road is approaching. This too has saved me from a knockdown. Moving out has become second nature. Is it taught in Bikeability?
I don’t know. I’m applying
I don’t know. I’m applying advanced motorcycling teachings, which work to a point on a bicycle. Cyclists lack the horsepower & physical presence of motorcyclists (85bhp vs 0.5?), so I’ve found the positioning stuff the most helpful, as well as better observation & anticipation.
I’m sure that even with better training and behaviour for all involved and better traffic management, cycling will still be more dangerous than driving a car. We are not inside a large protective metal box for starters.
Neil Smith 48 wrote:
I’m sure
I think that in order to be as safe as a car occupant you have to be a much better cyclist than most motorists are drivers. Fotunately this is not too difficult. The figures I keep going on about show that most cyclists ARE better.