Many of you will have heard about the tragic death of Dr Marta Krawiec at the junction of Southampton Row and Theobalds Road in Holborn on Wednesday. There is a well-informed article in the Evening Standard here. All our thoughts are with her family and friends.

This is the 5th death in 8 years in or near the Holborn gyratory. Some of you will have been at LCC's protest in 2018 following the death of another doctor, Dr Peter Fisher. We know that Camden have worked on several plans to make the area safer for cyclists and pedestrians, including the turn-bans on Vernon Place which were implemented in 2018, but other schemes were held up by TfL. These plans culminated in the Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood scheme which would have removed the gyratory altogether. This was initially funded in 2019 but then frozen by TfL in early 2020.

I have written to our new Assembly Member, Anne Clark, who is also on the GLA Transport Committee, to ask her to find out how and why this decision was made and to urge TfL to reinstate it as a priority. Meanwhile LCC will be campaigning for a total review of the most dangerous junctions in London. Please look out for this and sign the petition.

Let's hope that this is the beginning of the end for roads that mix HGVs and cyclists.