A male cyclist in his sixties was killed in a collision with a coach in Central London this afternoon. The tragedy came on the day when the 10,000th person signed up to The Times's Cities fit for cycling campaign to prevent such horrific incidents on Britain's streets.
The man, whose identity is not yet known, is already the tenth cycling fatality in Britain this year, and the first in London, which saw 16 deaths last year. The incident took place in Bishopsgate, East London, near the junction with Wormwood Street, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, the London Ambulance Service confirmed. His next of kin have been informed.
One witness described the "appalling" sight of a police cordon around a bike "broken in two pieces".
Zamech Syed, 41, an IT worker whose office is just over the road, said: "I saw a body on the road but I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
"This junction is terrible. You can't tell which way the traffic is going. One day the traffic is going one way, the next day it's another way. It's because of all the road works. I'm not surprised that a fatality has happened, it's very sad," he said.
The accident happened just outside a branch of Boots – some of the sales staff saw the accident and later placed flowers at the scene.
"His bike was dragged under a Stansted coach," said one.
"We were all fairly sure he wouldn't make it. It was horrible," said an office worker who was working in a building over the road.
"We were training over there and all saw it. We came down to see if we could help," he said.
Three hours after the incident, the area where Bishopsgate meets Wormwood Street was still cordoned off by police.
Police removed the man's red bike, which had had the front wheel completely broken off.
City of London Police have not yet been able to confirm whether the driver of the coach, a Terravision airport shuttle coach, has been arrested.
The news came shortly after The Times's cycling campaign received official Parliamentary support from the House of Commons cycling group. It has pledged to push forward the demands made in our 'Cities Fit For Cycling' manifesto.
Cyclists, drivers and pedestrians are continuing to come together to demand that Britain's streets are revolutionised. But we need more. Thanks to the hundreds of readers who have already written to their MPs on our free campaign page, The Times's call to arms has been raised by MPs in the House of Commons and received official support from voices in Parliament.
Ian Austin MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, said: "I think the campaign is absolutely brilliant. The parliamentary group backs the campaign and is keen to meet people from The Times to discuss how we can get the issues on the 'Cities Fir For Cycling' manifesto in front of the right people. To have these issues on the front of a national newspaper is vital."
Lord Alan Sugar and rower James Cracknell, both keen cyclists, have also joined the pantheon of famous backers, while the London Ambulance Service has leant its support to the campaign along with all four of the major candidates in the London mayoral election, who are also backing the campaign. Six Olympic cycling champions are backing the campaign.
The second day of The Times's Cities Fit For Cycling campaign has today highlighted the difficulties lorry drivers face in sharing the road with cyclists. It has also underlined the measures both drivers and cyclists can take to ensure that drivers respect a cyclist's right to be on the street while cyclists must respect the rules of the road.
Tomorrow's edition of The Times will provide expert, in-depth coverage of the issues affecting all road users, and how the points made in our manifesto will transform the lives of everyone on the road, not just cyclists.
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