“There's safety in numbers”: Parents of cyclist killed by lorry driver call for “more people to get on bikes” and safer infrastructure, branding crash junction “an accident waiting to happen”

The parents of Emma Burke Newman, a cyclist killed after being hit and dragged for over 50 metres by a lorry driver in Glasgow, have encouraged more people to ride bikes as part of a “virtuous cycle” to make the roads safer, amid a broader call for safer infrastructure and more awareness of vulnerable road users by motorists.

On Thursday, 69-year-old HGV driver Paul Mowat was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid community work under police supervision and banned from driving for 12 months after admitting to driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, following the collision that killed cyclist Emma, a 22-year-old American-French student studying architecture at Glasgow School of Art, in January last year.

Footage played at Glasgow Sheriff Court showed lorry driver Mowat, along with another bus driver, encroach beyond an Advanced Stop Line (ASL) at a set of traffic lights at the junction of Broomielaw and Oswald Street on Glasgow’s King George V Bridge.

Emma can then be seen moving into the first lane, passing Mowat’s lorry, the windscreen and mirrors of which were dirty at the time, on the nearside. However, as they both set off, Mowat turned left, hitting the cyclist’s pannier rack, causing her to fall and dragging her under the lorry for 53 metres. The 22-year-old was rushed to hospital, where she died the following morning from her injuries.

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Following Mowat’s sentencing this week, Emma’s parents, Rose Marie Burke and John Newman, said the junction where her daughter was killed was an “accident waiting to happen”, and that they are currently working with Glasgow City Council to install safer infrastructure in the area.

“When I first saw the junction, I thought ‘this is an accident waiting to happen’,” Emma’s mother Rose said, the Glasgow Times reports.

“This was bound to happen, and in fact GoBike, I think as early as 2019, pointed out to Glasgow City Council how dangerous that junction was, and nothing had been done.

“We’re working with the council and we’re happy that maybe by this time next year, there’s going to be a much safer junction put in place with a dedicated cycle lane.”

Rose added that she has noticed numerous problems with Glasgow’s active travel infrastructure, but that some progress in recent months has made certain junctions safer.

John and Rose are also urging motorists to pay more attention to vulnerable road users, particularly at ASLs or bike boxes, and to give cyclists space to ride through junctions safely.

“The driver took away Emma’s safe space and caused a fatal accident,” Rose said. “We want the roads to be safer. Not even just for cyclists, but drivers too. No driver wants to be in that dock.”

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They also noted that encouraging more people to cycle is key to making the roads safer for people on bikes, and this “virtuous cycle” is central to their campaigning in the wake of Emma’s death.

“We would like to encourage people, if they’re interested in safer roads, to join their local cycling club, Cycling UK, or GoBike,” Rose said.

“Emma lived in Shawlands, and there’s the Shawlands Bike Bus so we hope to join them one day.

“We want people to get on bikes because there’s safety in numbers. The more people that are out there, the safer it will become. It’s like this virtuous cycle and that’s our vision, that’s what we hope for.”

> Campaign launched for safer junctions in Glasgow after cyclist’s death – and is calling on local road users to share their experiences

Reflecting on Emma’s death, and the revelation in court that lorry driver Mowat held her daughter’s hand and reassured her in the moments after the crash, Rose added: “This does bring some comfort. I was touched that he held my daughter’s hand and spoke to her. That was the first time I heard this.

“But nothing can bring our daughter back. It’s been terrible. It turns your life upside down. There’s no closure.

“I’m going to live with this for the rest of my life and have to learn how to deal with it. It’s just that all of the anxiety and worry about the criminal proceedings will be over.”

“Our lives have become much smaller, less bright, less joyous, and frankly, more fatigued,” Emma’s father John said.

“There are still civil avenues to pursue and then there will be political avenues to pursue in support of better cycling infrastructure and more awareness, so this was just the first phase of many.

“The criminal phase is over. But it’s not over. There’s so much more to do. And we feel like we have to do it.”

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This isn’t the first time that Emma’s parents have called for safer infrastructure and more awareness of cyclists by motorists since their daughter’s death in January 2023.

Last April, they called for all political parties to support the adoption of “best-practice infrastructure”, as well as other safety measures to better protect cyclists. Writing in a blog post published through Pedal on Parliament, Emma’s parents said the symbolism of their daughter’s death, a young rider “devoted to making cities safer and more beautiful for all”, is “terribly searing”.

The architectural practice where Emma worked also launched a campaign calling for safer junctions in Glasgow last year, asking for local cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers to share their experiences and help gather data at the locations in question.

Responding to Emma’s parent’s campaign, a Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the conviction and sentencing of the driver in this tragic case.

“Following their investigation, police indicated to us there were no roads-related issues at the junction that required to be addressed by the council.

“However, as part of wider work to enhance active travel infrastructure along Broomielaw, we are currently working on improving the junction at King George V Bridge. These proposed improvements will include segregated lanes for cycling and a dedicated phase at the traffic signals for active travel with work due to be completed later this year.”