Once again, last night cyclists and pedestrians descended on Kings Cross to express their anger and sadness at the terrible death toll on London's roads and to send a message to the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) that we need streets designed for movement of people on foot and on bikes, not just those in vehicles. The event was organised by Bikesalive who claim that "polite meetings and symbolic action have had no effect" and the time has come to say enough is enough with peaceful direct action to close the gyratory for an hour a week until TfL start to design our streets for people flow not vehicle flow.
Green mayoral candidate, Jenny Jones lead the way on her bike followed by hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians filling the streets around the traffic dominated gyratory with noisy calls of "where's Boris?".
There were many pedestrians amongst the cyclists and plenty of people who were clearly not "transport geeks", just Londoners infuriated by the way our streets are managed and prepared to come along to show they care. One woman passing through Kings Cross on her bike who hadn't known about the demo in advance, joined in saying she was "so glad the demo was happening - I nearly get killed here every day".
The policing was exemplary. Officers were sensitive to the strength of feeling about road death and injury. They coped admirably with the lack of leaders, enabled the demo to take place and kept people safe.
As Jenny Jones said in her blog "road deaths and injuries are still too often seen as unavoidable in a modern society", clearly this has to change. It is absolutely not acceptable that so many families should pay such a high price for travelling on London's roads. I'll be there next week and hope others will too.
trying to speak to Nick Ferrari 24/1/12 on LBC973 this morning. here is copy of the letter i sent. Its not just cyclists who try to be healthy.
ReplyDeleteby NeiallsWheel (on Twitter & You tube)
Hello Nick i have a few questions regarding the London Low Emission Zone i would like to put to the Mayor.
I have to start by explaining that normal Diesel contains cancer causing carcinogens that are simply not present in BioDiesel simply due to the fact it’s a Plant-based OIL
Biodiesel also has half the emissions of normal diesel.
And yet (i quote from link on TfL website)
''' it has been deemed not to be exempt from the #LEZ '''
also the French water fuel system i have on my van, although cutting emissions by half , and saving fuel is also NOT exempt.
With both Biodiesel and waterfuel systems on the van my emissions are absolutely minimal, and yet i am being forced to buy a £2000 (plus vat) diesel particulate filter, that by its very design LOWERS emissions by incinerating WASTED fuel.
Diesel Particulate Filters are ineffective in traffic and can fail due to clogging.
heres what im begging you to let me ask Boris
1) why has Biodiesel been shunned by TfL
2) why is it that without a reciept (for £2000 filter) am i being barred from taking the compulsory LEZ £32 smoke test
Nick this is destroying my livelyhood, i had anticipated the so-called 'emissions test' by altering my vehicle with clean fuel and therefore CLEAN EMISSIONS yet for the past 3 weeks im either charged £100 a day or made a criminal.
Is this a Vision of a clean-up London's Air policy as we are being sold? I can drive to Belgium and have a DPF fitted for £600 or indeed buy a second hand one from a crashed vehicle (£100)and fit it on my vehicle myself. Yet im still DENIED a test.
Emissions test implies a pass or fail on my actual results not on a proof of sale reciept.
#ChallengeBoris Mr Boris Johnson please authorise testing, and donate to me (for testing purposes only) an OLD Routemaster Bus to adapt to Biodiesel and Waterfuel , for a thorough emissions testing at your centre. (donated by you) programme would need thorough tests on
1) Just diesel (and DPF)
2) diesel and water fuel
3) Biodiesel
4) Biodiesel and water fuel
5) Biodiesel, water fuel system and DieselParticulateFilter
My time i will give for free (2-3 weeks) and this test would prove beneficial for London air quality (8000 buses) and show the fuel saving , and pollution reducing qualities of both these common sense and cost effective systems.
To be fair to Boris the government could easily introduce a diesel dye similar to (agricultural) RED Diesel, for Ordinary diesel as they do in the USA .
This would allow converters to Biodiesel to PROVE that they are NOT using ordinary PURPLE diesel (for example) .
Biodiesel could then recieve the ALTERNATIVE GREEN FUEL subsidies it deserves , such as deductions in Road tax , and exemptions in the Congestion Charge zone and the Low Emission Zone (in London and other UK cities and towns)
Mr Ferrari you are a gentleman and i always enjoy the show wherever i am (not in London im afraid). Cheers Neiall Mullery