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Abstract

Campaigners have warned Transport for London that its plan to change the gyratory at King’s Cross does not go far enough to protect cyclists at a danger junction where a young fashion student was crushed to death on her bike.

Demands for a safer cycle route through the area intensified after the death of Deep Lee, 24, who was killed in a collision with a lorry between Gray’s Inn Road and York Way in 2011.

Almost five years later, cycling campaigners say proposals for two-way traffic, contra-flow cycle lanes and new crossings will not give enough protection unless restrictions on car traffic are introduced.

The designs are currently out for public consultation.

Tom Harrison, from the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), said: “At the moment this is not going to resolve the key dangers which saw incidents such as the one that led to the death of Deep Lee.”

TfL plans show that there would be no change to the Gray’s Inn Road to York Way crossing despite repeated calls for segregated cycle lanes to be installed there.

Cyclists would instead by encouraged to use ­quieter parallel streets such as King’s Cross Road, Penton Rise and Belgrave Street.

“People will cycle along the main roads because they are convenient, so we need to make sure we make space for them,” said Mr Harrison, who has organised “go-slow” protest rides in the area.

“There is a huge amount of demand to cycle in this area so we have got to pressure TfL to do a proper job and ­prioritise cyclists and stop the deaths that have happened.”

Deep Lee was on her first day of a master’s degree course at Central St Martins when she was involved in a collision with a lorry.

Her death, one of a number of cycling injuries and fatalities at the time, kick-started a major outcry over cycling safety in the capital, protests at danger junctions and even calls for TfL to be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter.

LCC infrastructure campaigner Simon Munk said the plan also provided little for those cycling east to west along Pentonville and Euston Road.

He added: “York Way and Caledonian Road are also key routes but nothing has been proposed for them at all. Our initial reaction is very strongly that this seems to be about putting private motor cars first when they should be putting buses, pedestrians and cyclists first.”

The consultation on the gyratory proposals runs until March 20. TfL will consider feedback and publish a consultation report in the summer before making any changes and returning with a detailed plan in early 2017.