On Wednesday eighth November 2017 I spent the night in Islington.
Vigil for Islington bike owner killed by HGV – Islington City Corridor, Wed 8 Nov 2017
On Might 2nd 2017, Metropolis dealer Jerome Roussel was biking to work alongside Pentonville Highway when he collided with a heavy items automobile which had stopped within the cycle lane. He was significantly injured and died in hospital on June twenty fifth, seven weeks later.
Police say that the bike owner had advised them he had put his head down and had did not see that the lorry had pulled in forward of him and he crashed into the again of it.
Biking round elements of London there are various streets with ‘cycle lanes’ marked on the edges of the roads however typically obstructed by parked automobiles. The motive force on this case had solely simply pulled into it, intending to show right into a facet road, however for a lot of others the cycle lane is a handy parking place, maybe for a couple of minutes whereas they go to a store, or for for much longer.
These roads have cycle lanes as a result of there’s sufficient quicker shifting visitors on them to make them harmful for cyclists. However automobiles and lorries parked on them imply that cyclists have to maneuver out into this visitors. We want a legislation which makes it an offence to park on cycles lanes – and for it to be enforced.
Higher nonetheless we want way more bodily separated cycle lanes, although the place these exist there are additionally generally automobiles parked on them, rendering them unusable, and generally street surfaces so poorly maintained that they’re uncomfortable to experience on and even at occasions harmful. Even small potholes {that a} automotive would cruise over can ship the unwary bike owner flying.
As I wrote again in 2017, “Islington has not constructed a single protected cycle route in over 20 years and Transport Minister Jessye Norman has to date did not signal the the graduation order to permit TfL to positive HGVs and visitors that drive into necessary cycle lanes, such because the one on Pentonville Highway the place Jerome Roussel was killed. Islington, accountable for 95% of the roads in its space has reserves of £277 million (and rising) and campaigners say it ought to spend a few of this on making its streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.”
I don’t cycle in Islington, however though the council on its website states it’s “on a mission to enhance biking in Islington” I get the impression that comparatively little has modified since Roussel’s demise on a cycle lane in 2017. On the 2022 elections the London Biking Marketing campaign was calling on Islington Council to offer protected cycle routes on all busy roads by 2026, for low visitors neighbourhoods to cowl the borough by 2024, to offer sustainable freight hubs, to set extra bold targets for sustainable transport and supply safe cycle parking.
Cyclists gathered on the pavement exterior Islington City Corridor and listened to various speeches earlier than police stopped visitors and the campaigners held a 5 minute silent die-in on the street in reminiscence of Jerome Roussel, after which there have been extra speeches and a last handle by Donnachadh McCarthy.
Extra at Vigil for Islington bike owner killed by HGV.
ORAL squat empty NatWest Financial institution – Higher St, Islington, Wed 8 Nov 2017
As I walked again from Islington City Corridor to the Underground station with one other photographer we met activists who knew us exterior the squatted former NatWest Financial institution on Higher St and stopped to speak.
This had been squatted round every week earlier by the Order of Rampaging Anarchist Lunatics (ORAL) and so they had been utilizing it as a centre to offer tea, espresso, clothes and shelter for the road homeless of the world.
We had been invited inside for a tour of the squat and to take images. The squatters had been anticipating to be evicted within the close to future, and really had been just a few days later, after which they revealed a ‘last communique’ on their Fb web page. You possibly can learn this in full on My London Diary, however right here is the primary paragraph:
A number of years in the past, what started as a ridiculous thought to type a satirical nation of squatters developed into one of the crucial notorious land pirate crews recognized around the globe. Initially coined the Autonomous Nationwide of Anarchist Libertarians [ANAL] we’ve penetrated deep into London, forming a property portfolio that undoubtedly far exceeds some other crew; Having taken roughly 60 buildings in zone 1 over a interval of round 4 years. Most notably Admiralty Arch.
Their communique goes on to say that they felt their actions had acheived nothing and that they might be forming a brand new group centered on “setting the instance of tips on how to evolve society & humanity” although “building & creation” and would shortly be opening “a brand new neighborhood hub”.
My evaluation was slightly extra constructive, in that they and different activists had drawn consideration to the scandal of so many empty properties whereas we’ve a housing disaster. Due to the Tory programme of austerity we had seen an enormous enhance within the variety of homeless folks and there must be authorized methods to deliver these properties into use. The present state of affairs stays shameful in what continues to be one of many world’s wealthiest international locations.
ORAL Squat empty NatWest Financial institution.
Tags: ANAL, anarchists, cycle deaths, cycle land, cycle provision, cycle security, cyclists, cyclists killed, die-in, Donnachadh McCarthy, empty property, last communique, HGV, homeless, homeless shelter, homelessness, housing disaster, Islington, Jerome Roussel, London, London Biking Marketing campaign, My London Diary, NatWest, ORAL, ORAL squat, peter Marshall, police, protest, squatters, Cease Killing Cyclists, road homeliss, Tory austerity, Higher St
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