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Cllr Marisha Ray at the blackspot junction |
Teen cyclist is injured at blackspot junction
New calls for safety action after girl, 14, is hit by bus
FURIOUS road safety campaigners have lashed out at Mayor of London Boris Johnson after another near-fatal accident involving a 14-year-old girl at a notorious blackspot junction at King’s Cross.
The teenager was hit by a No 30 bus as she crossed Penton Rise junction with Pentonville Road, in Clerkenwell, on Tuesday morning. Amazingly, she only suffered slight head injuries and is “recovering” at University College hospital.
There have been 23 accidents at the spot in the past four years. In 2007 cyclist Madeleine Wright, from Islington Green, died after being crushed under a lorry there.
The major problem with the junction, according to campaigners, is that there are insufficient warnings about which way the traffic is turning. Buses and cyclists are able to go straight on towards King’s Cross, but the rest of the traffic has to turn left into Penton Rise.
Clerkenwell councillor Marisha Ray said: “How many deaths and injuries do we have to have at this spot before Boris decides to do something?”
Following the death of Ms Wright, Cllr Ray held an emergency meeting with officials from Transport for London (TfL) and her colleague, Lib Dem councillor George Allan.
“While we talked we actually saw a cyclist being knocked off his bike by a car turning left when he wanted to go straight on,” she said. “Fortunately he was not hurt.”
Cllr Ray added: “In the long term TfL need to look at the gyratory system and ask themselves is it really working?
“In the short term perhaps there could be more signage warning both pedestrians and cyclists to beware of the junction.”
At the inquest into Ms Wright’s death last April her father, Peter Wright, labelled TfL’s safety policy “unacceptable.”
A TfL spokesperson said that over the last year it has made changes to the junction of Pentonville Road and Penton Rise, including new signage and road markings to make the junction safer for vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists.
The spokesperson added: “A significant junction safety scheme will begin next month which will include a new bus lane that will help separate cyclists from other vehicles going through the junction, particularly those turning left. Work on this scheme should be complete by the end of August.’’ |
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