RoadPeace campaign coordinator, Victoria Lebrec, took part in a protest on Tuesday 19 March on Old Street, London.

The protest was a ‘make the lane’ event, where campaigners formed a human bike lane to show the need to address the dangerous conditions for cyclists.

The day before the protest took place, Islington Council announced plans to shut the road to through traffic; indicating that the protest acted as a catalyst for change.

Victoria was run over by a skip lorry in 2014 and lost her leg on this stretch of road. Since her crash, two women – Julie Dinsdale and Sarah Doone – have also been involved in collisions which led to a lower limb amputation on Old Street.

There have been 193 collisions along this passage in the five years leading to February 2018; including the three women who have lost legs in crashes.

Victoria said on the issue:

“The number of crashes that have taken place on Old Street is unacceptable. The plans to change the road have been talked about for so long, and it’s frustrating that it’s taken this long to have the plans announced. Delays translate as injuries and death, so it’s essential the road gets changed.”

Dr Tabitha Tanqueray, who formed part of the human shield and organised the event, added: “We’ve seen deaths on these roads, we’ve seen three women lose their legs, there’s a clear pattern – we don’t want any more delays.”

RoadPeace welcomes the plans announced by Cllr Webbe; making the road safer will inevitably lead to fewer suffering caused by road danger.

If you have been affected by road danger in London and would like to get involved in campaigning, please contact Victoria Lebrec at victoria.lebrec@roadpeace.org

Updated on: 26 March 2019