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 Safety campaigners, from left, Cllr Terry Stacy, Cllr George Allan, Susan Friesner, Cllr Marisha Ray and Juliet Makhapila |
Crashes pile up at danger junction
Mayor Boris urged to take action after three accidents occur since schoolgirl was hurt
THREE near-fatal accidents have occurred at a King’s Cross blackspot since a 14-year-old schoolgirl was knocked down by a bus there two weeks ago.
Road safety campaigners are pressing Mayor of London Boris Johnson to take action before there is another fatality at the junction of Pentonville Road and Penton Rise.
Susan Friesner, of the Amwell Society, a conservation group, said the junction had been a death-trap for too long.
“Every day I pass by there is a near-accident,” she added. “It’s only a matter of time before someone is badly injured or worse. I appeal to Transport for London to do something about this junction soon.”
According to campaigner Juliet Makhapila, the major problem is that there are insufficient warnings about which way 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,” she said.
Last month a 14-year-old girl escaped with minor injuries when she was hit by a No30 bus at the junction. It is thought she may have assumed the bus was turning left with the rest of the traffic rather than driving straight on into a bus lane.
There have been 23 accidents at the junction in the past four years, it was stated at the inquest into cyclist Madeleine Wright, from Islington Green, who was crushed under a lorry at the spot in 2007.
Clerkenwell Lib Dem councillor Marisha Ray said: “Since the Tribune reported the girl was hit by a bus there have been three near-fatal accidents at the junction. On all occasions the emergency services were called.
“You only have to stand at this junction for five minutes to see how frightening it is and how many near-misses there are.”
Clerkenwell Lib Dem councillor George Allan, himself a cyclist, said: “Some improvements have been made but the main changes have not yet been done. Now Mayor Johnson wants to site a cycle docking centre at the junction as part of the London cycle hire scheme.”
A TfL spokesman said that over the last year it has made changes to the junction, including new signs and road markings to make it safer for vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists.
The spokesman added: “This year we are doing more – a significant junction safety scheme will begin next month which will include a new bus lane that will help separate cyclists from other vehicles, particularly those turning left. Work should be complete by the end of August.’’
Other improvements include:
l an offside bus lane that will enable cyclists to travel west on Pentonville Road through the Penton Rise junction;
l a toucan crossing/shared footway for less confident cyclists travelling west on Pentonville Road;
l widening of the footway to create extra room for the cyclist/pedestrian shared surface;
l advanced stop lines for cyclists at all arms of the junction; and
l resurfacing and anti-skid measures in Pentonville Road between Penton Street and Penton Rise |
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