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The scene of the accident on Pentonville Road where Madeleine Wright was hit by a lorry
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21 DEAD, SO LET’S ACT
MP urges safety campaign after cyclists killed by lorries
THE death of two young Islington women cyclists in accidents with heavy lorries brought new fears this week about the perils of riding a bike.
The tragic deaths of Amelia Zollner, 24, and Madeleine Wright, 26, with “everything to live for”, sparked new calls from local MP Emily Thornberry for a campaign to make lorry drivers more aware of cyclists.
The women died within days of each other from head injuries and inquests have been opened and adjourned.
On Friday Ms Wright, from Islington Green, was killed when she was in collision with a lorry in Pentonville Road, at the junction with Penton Rise. She died at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
Eyewitness David Holt, manager of the University College London student housing campus on Penton Rise, saw the accident happen on CCTV tapes, which have now been sent to police.
He said: “I’ve been here seven years and this is an accident waiting to happen. This junction is lethal. The traffic races down here and the cars don’t indicate because it’s the only route they’re allowed to take.
“They always put it down to driver error but it’s the road. They need to put speed camera up and make the signing clearer, before it happens again.”
He added that Ms Wright was in the middle lane and she went straight ahead as a lorry in the right hand lane turned left.
“The front of the lorry ploughed into her and she went underneath. A motorcyclist behind her stopped and tried to help, but she was right underneath it.”
At the time of going to press there was little background information about Ms Wright.
The Thursday before, Ms Zollner, a Cambridge graduate, had stopped near traffic lights at Russell Square as a lorry pulled away next to her and she went under the wheels.
It happened close to junction with Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, at 9.10am.
Eye-witness Mr Bravin Malde, who works in Imperial News newsagents in the Square, said: “The ambulance was there very fast, in just a couple of minutes, I think.
“They treated her right there in the street for 45 minutes – the road was totally blocked for three-and-a-half hours.”
Mr Malde who rides a moped himself added: “That turning is so bad. I saw another cyclist nearly knocked over by a bus just yesterday.”
Ms Zollner was cycling from her home to the offices of the influential independent policy think tank, Institute for Public Policy Research in Covent Garden, where she worked.
Both her South African-born mother and Hungarian father are dead but she has some members of her family in the UK. At her flat at Stock Orchard Crescent, off the Caledonian Road, her flat mates spoke of a woman who was destined to achieve great things.
Her friend, Jessica Blackstone, a fine art student, said: “She studied natural sciences at Cambridge and was passionate about the environment. She was a lovely, lively, feisty person, who adored cycling because of the freedom it gave her.
“But she was very safety conscious and always wore her helmet.
“She was planning a fantastic ocean kayaking adventure with a couple of friends before the accident.”
IPPR’s Associate director Miranda Lewis is in charge of Ms Zollner’s team which dealt with migration and asylum issues.
She described her as a very bright, enthusiastic and committed.
Ms Lewis added: “She was a joy to work with although I hadn’t known her very long. It was a tragic loss and waste of potential.” Islington South MP and Finsbury Emily Thornberry, herself a cyclist, said that 21 cyclists had been killed in accidents involving lorries in London between January 99 and May 2004 - and 85 per cent were women.
“These are two terrible tragedies and my heart goes out to families and friends. Lorries have too many blind spots and we must campaign to make drivers more aware. ”
Ms Thornberry added: “But despite the dangers cycling is still a safe form of travel and cyclists tend to be extremely healthy. “We want to encourage more people to cycle rather than less.
“We want fewer vehicles on our roads and more cyclists.”
Alison Dines, co-ordinator of the Islington Cyclist Action Group, said that left turning lorries were a major cause of accidents with cyclists.
She said: “There are plans for new mirrors to be installed at lorry blind spots to reduce this problem but I don’t know how far this has got.”
Ms Zollner’s funeral is being held on Monday at Golders Green crematorium.
Mourners are being invited to make donations to Azafady a charity based in Madagascar where Amelia worked after university (www.azafady.org).
IPPR are also planning to set up an annual internship under Amelia’s name.
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