According to my hand collected data, eight have been killed by cars and lorries in Greater London in 2011 so far (not five, as the BBC claims). The latest victim was Paula Jurek (20) in Camden last week who was crushed by a left turning lorry.
It might be only a question of time until someone gets hit at King’s Cross / St. Pancras. There is massive construction work going on around King’s Cross at the moment, probably in preparation of London 2012. Some traffic obstructions are inevitable, of course.
However, appartently the companies working on the construction sites don’t care at all for cyclists. I took this picture a few minutes ago at the junction of Pancras Road and Euston Road.
Pancras Road has an Advanced Stop Line for cyclists which is disregarded by both drivers. When I dismounted to take the picture, only the black HGV on the left had entered the box. The tractor (which was pulling a dreadful trailer and was turning left) arrived later. Both vehicles came from the construction site at King’s Cross.
I had a brief – and friendly – conversation with the driver of the tractor after I took the picture. I hold him that he was standing in a bike box. He looked at me in utter disbelief and did not understand what I was telling him.
This is really a shame. Unfortunately I don’t know who is responsible for the construction work at King’s Cross. Is it Transport for London? They urgently have to teach basic cycling awareness lessons to the HGV drivers working there. Otherwise some cyclist will get hurt sooner or later.
Cycling Intelligence 
I doubt TfL has anything to do with it. I don’t think any of the construction work there is railway related at the moment.
St Martin’s College are just completing a new campus there, and the Wellcome Trust are preparing to build a big new lab building behind the library. I think there are a few other things being built behind the station. Presumably it’s one of their contractors to blame.
Yes, the lorry and the tractor were coming from the construction site right behind King’s Cross station.
Its not that surprising, most motorists dont know or ignore the cycle box. I was in Bromley last week waiting to turn right at red lights, when a red double decker service bus undertook me, and not only drove straight over the bike box but continued about half the bus length on to the yellow cross hatches of the junction before stopping. And he wasnt speeding.
If drivers of PSVs who are supposed to know the route ignore the rules, what hope is there of others complying?
Good point, but most London bus drivers are doing a very good job, IMHO. At least compared to HGV drives. Only 3 fatalaties related to TfL busses since 2006, while dozens of cyclists have been killed by lorries. And I guess that there are much more TfL busses on the roads than HGVs.
fyi:
over 100 accidents on just four london bridges since August 2006
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/report_considering_the_benefits#incoming-167724
Anyone who can’t understand what a painted outline of a bicycle is should be banned from driving.
The companies currently responsible for the construction works at the Kings Cross development are Network Rail, who are working on the station redevelopment and Argent King’s Cross Limited Partnership (backed by Argent Group plc) who are responsible for the development of the main site. The KX development size is very large and involves the redevelopment of 67 acre and the creation of 8 million sq ft (743,200 sqm) of mixed use space!
It is certainly a shame to see that the developers of the KX site don’t seem to have any interest in ensuring that the companies and their staff implementing the works, aren’t adequately trained to ensure the safety of other road users. More worryingly is that the development of Kings Cross is not only large (so there will be a heavy vehicle traffic around the site) but it is also a long term project and only due for completion in 2020.
Who knows how many accidents could occur in that time if the drivers of the construction vehicles have no respect for the more vulnerable road users.
Just passed through Kings Cross. There is what looks like a fatal road accident involving a cyclist and an aggregate lorry at the big junction between York Way, Euston Road and Pentonville Road. Whole junction cordoned off, blue police tent erected in the road and lots of ghouls taking mobile phone pictures.
Hi
I am sorry to say that the worst has happened and a female cyclist was killed at the next junction along today at 1130 approx. Very shocking. The incident involved a lorry or van, but i don’t know if it was part of the construction. Very sad.
Ac
http://danielscounter.blogspot.com/2011/10/dangerous-tracks-woman-cyclist.html
Sadly somebody was probably killed today – on the york way / pentonville rd / euston rd junction
Unfortunately a cyclist was killed today at Kings Cross, by a construction truck.
cyclist under truck today in Kings cross
http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/cyclist-killed-at-kings-cross-lighthouse.281966/
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