Safety work approved to improve "most dangerous junction in London" for cyclists

A London bridge labelled the "most dangerous junction" for cyclists in the English capital will undergo major safety works.

Transport for London said improvement work on Lambeth Bridge is due to start next spring, the junction where in April 2015 designer Moira Gemmill — chosen by the Queen to lead the renovations of Windsor Castle — was killed while cycling in a collision involving a tipper truck being driven on the route.

The death prompted a die-in vigil to mark the fifth cyclist fatality in the opening four months of that calendar year, and campaigning to make the bridge's junctions safer for cyclists has continued ever since, TfL first announcing plans to improve the layout in 2017.

Improvements had previously been opposed on the grounds they might impact traffic flow, TfL now asserting it will have less of an impact on motorists as the number of drivers using the route has reduced since the pandemic.

The roundabouts at either end of the bridge will be replaced by junctions with traffic lights, which will have early release signals for cyclists, allowing those on bicycles to move away from a stop a few seconds before motorists. There will also be fully protected cycle lanes leading to the traffic lights.

The Evening Standard reports a "distinctive" palm tree in the centre of the northern roundabout will need to be removed before work can begin, and is to be relocated next month to Churchill Gardens in Pimlico. In a somewhat bizarre twist, TfL informed the public that the tree must be removed during the planting season so it has the best chance of surviving, meaning if the opportunity to remove it is missed then work will be delayed by a year.

The local government body responsible for the majority of the transport network in London accepted that in its current layout the roundabouts are "large and intimidating" and "undoubtedly create a negative perception of safety".

"At its heart, the scheme is about delivering much needed safety improvements," TfL's interim director David Rowe said. "Lambeth Bridge north is the most dangerous junction in London for cycle collisions.

"This is a comprehensive [project] on both sides of the river as well as on the bridge itself. The roundabouts on either side of the river are replaced by signalised junctions with dedicated cycle facilities and protected cycle lanes. At the same time as doing the works to improve safety, we are undertaking refurbishment of the bridge deck, and also doing security measures on the bridge. At the moment, there are temporary measures in place – those will be made permanent.

"The works are supported by Lambeth [council] as well as by Westminster [council]. There is a keen desire on both sides of the river for this to move forward."

In 2015, Colin Wing from the London Cycling Campaign questioned whether the bridge's junctions could ever be made safe for cyclists unless the volume of traffic is reduced, something TfL now says has happened at peak times due to the pandemic.

A year later, initial 'safety' plans to reduce the width of lanes were rejected by London's former cycling commissioner Andrew Gilligan who said it would be better to do nothing than force cyclists into the path of motor traffic.

In February 2017, the driver of the tipper truck involved in the collision which killed Ms Gemmill was found not guilty of causing her death by careless driving, following a trial at the Old Bailey.

James Kwatia told the trial he did not feel his truck impact with the victim nor hear her scream. The driver – who had undertaken a cycling awareness course just weeks before the incident – said he had been aware of cyclists on the bridge and had checked his mirrors as he came to the roundabout but hadn't seen anyone.