Bank junction facing second protest – and “die-in” – over cycle death
Bank will be the scene of a second protest highlighting the dangers of cycling on London's roads on Monday, in response to the death of a young City worker this week.
PwC employee Ying Tao died on Monday after being knocked off her bike by a tipper truck. That was the second death in 36 hours, after 60-year-old Clifton James was killed after colliding with a car in Harrow while cycling home on Sunday.
A first flash protest was held at Bank junction this morning. Organised by the London Cycling Campaign, it was attended by hundreds of people including at least three mayoral candidates. People laid flowers and held a one-minute's silence on behalf of the victims.
The second protest, which will take place from early evening on Monday 29th June, is expected to be a larger – more disruptive – “die-in”, where cyclists will lie on the road to highlight the number of deaths caused on the roads each year.
Organised by pressure group Stop Killing Cyclists, attendees will meet outside the Royal Exchange, opposite the Bank of England, at 5:30pm.
Ying Tao, who died on Monday (Source: City of London police)
The group said it was with “huge regret” that it would be holding its seventh vigil and die-in for Tao and Clifford.
Regarding Bank, the group said: “It is a horrendous junction – seven major and two minor roads merge there, meaning no matter how good the driving or cycling its a nightmare – with absolutely no sensible provision for cyclists and even pedestrians poorly looked after.
“At least three of these roads needs to be closed to through traffic and made over for the huge numbers of pedestrians and cyclists using this junction at rush hour every day.”
It added: “We ask as many of you as possible to attend to remember them, and reiterate the need for space and decent infrastructure for people that choose to cycle.”
The City of London Corporation told City A.M. that plans for Bank junction to become pedestrianised were still on the table, with designs being put out for public consultation in the next couple of months.
However construction will not begin until the end of 2018 at the earliest.