# Cyclist down- Holloway Road again.



## spindrift (9 Sep 2008)

52 year old lady. Died in hospital 2 hours later, hit at 5.30pm last night by, yes, an HGV.


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## Riding in Circles (9 Sep 2008)

Sad.


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## CotterPin (9 Sep 2008)

A few more details - the woman was a local community campaigner, who, among other things, campaigned for open spaces to be retained, and worked with local schools in encouraging arts.

The incident occurred here. There is a cycle crossing between Madras Place and Fieldway Crescent, controlled by lights. The staggered nature of the crossing and the consequent distance between the sets of the lights means that traffic on the Holloway Road can continue to be moving even when cyclists have the green light to cross. Though I do not believe that was the cause of this incident.

ICAG, the local cycle campaign group have regularly called for the junction to be reviewed. 

Ironically, last week I was interviewed by the local press on the dangers to cyclists on the Holloway Road but was focussing my concerns higher up at the Nags Head gyratory.


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## soulful dog (9 Sep 2008)

Such a shame


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## catwoman (10 Sep 2008)

I knew her well and am very shocked and saddened to hear the news. I understand she was hit by a cement mixer and died at the scene.


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## domtyler (10 Sep 2008)

She probably shouldn't have got in his way while he was trying to read the paper in peace.


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## charliesurf (10 Sep 2008)

Hello.

sad news indeed.

Are there any details of how it actually happened that we may learn from ? 

C


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## domtyler (10 Sep 2008)

Hi CharlieSurf, 

These incidents invariably happen in exactly the same general manner. Woman cyclist is waiting at the red light on the very left of the road like a good little cyclist. Cement/Skip/Scaffolding lorry pulls up alongside and then proceeds to turn left across the cyclist crushing her to death under the wheels. Normally the driver admits to shuffling papers or fiddling with radio instead of looking in the mirrors and has forgotten about the cyclist that he just pulled out to pass two seconds earlier. CC TV images prove that the driver would have easily seen the woman if he had bothered to look.

Cycling community is outraged and calls for charges of culpable homicide, manslaughter, murder etc. Driver is taken to court.

Driver is given a three week ban and £60 fine. court agrees he can pay the fine in ten weekly instalments and lets him off the ban and points as he voluntarily agrees to attend a two hour driver awareness course.


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## TwickenhamCyclist (10 Sep 2008)

Dom – I’m sure many would find your post extremely cynical, but, it is unfortunately a pretty true reflection of reality, well said!


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## PrettyboyTim (10 Sep 2008)

How horrible for that poor lady, her family and friends. I cross that junction every day. I wonder how it happened?


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## CotterPin (10 Sep 2008)

I understand that she was crossing Holloway Road. The cement lorry was travelling north and had just pulled away from the traffic lights.


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## PrettyboyTim (10 Sep 2008)

Do you know which direction she was headed?


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## CotterPin (10 Sep 2008)

'fraid I don't know, Tim. ICAG (local cycle campaign group) are meeting tonight. May learn more then.


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## Tynan (10 Sep 2008)

how does a left turning lorry kill a stopped cyclist at lights?

if you mean they pull away together, sure, but you'd be a loon to pull away from lights alongside a large vehicle, let alone be alongside one at all


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## Origamist (10 Sep 2008)

Tribute to the deceased:

http://bridgetfox.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/lisa-pontecorvo-a-sad-loss/


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## PrettyboyTim (10 Sep 2008)

Here's the junction:







The purple lines show the route cyclists take crossing the road. The green brackets show where the lights are that direct them across.

The red lines show the stop lines for vehicles along Holloway Road, and the red brackets show the positions of the lights. There's a pedestrian crossing on the one at the bottom of the picture.

The problem with the junction is that for vehicles travelling north there's no second set of lights facing in their direction, so if they've stopped just after the pedestrian crossing and then the lights turn red, there's no indication that they should stop to let cyclists (who now have the green) cross. It's not so bad in the other direction as there are lights to make sure drivers stop for the pedestrian crossing.

Ideally the whole junction would be covered in yellow crosshatching to prevent it getting filled by stationary traffic but as you can see there's only a small patch. It can be tricky sometimes because if the junction is full your view may be obscured as you come to cross the second lane, and your presence may not be evident to vehicles travelling in that lane.


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## PrettyboyTim (10 Sep 2008)

Another tribute to her. Her name was Lisa Pontecorvo.


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## catwoman (11 Sep 2008)

I can only amplify what people are saying in the tributes to Lisa. I work for the council and came across her through work. She was well known to the planners and as I worked locally to where she lived I also got to know her through her active campaigns about various environmental issues.
I'm really shocked and saddened about her death and can only say the place will not be the same without her. very sad news.


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## spindrift (11 Sep 2008)

Oh no, that link above is terribly sad.

http://bridgetfox.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/lisa-pontecorvo-a-sad-loss/


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## CotterPin (11 Sep 2008)

Just to let you know a short vigil is planned for 5.35 this Monday (a week after the incident). See details below. If any would like to attend, feel free to do so.

Stephen


> Hello Folks,
> 
> ICAG has arranged a simple memorial to Lisa Ponticorvo, the cyclist who was
> tragically killed on Holloway Road on Monday afternoon 8th September, about
> ...


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## Rhythm Thief (11 Sep 2008)

very sad. Does anyone know how it actually happened?


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## CotterPin (12 Sep 2008)

Rhythm Thief said:


> very sad. Does anyone know how it actually happened?




This has been posted on the ICAG email list from a report from an eye witness:



> Further to your comments, I asked the local shopkeeper what had happened. He said the cyclist had been travelling down Holloway Road from Highbury Corner, bus lane side of the road. The traffic had stopped, backed up from the lights at Drayton Park and she wanted to enter Fieldway Crescent. She crossed in front of the cement mixer and halted at the centre of the road as traffic was flowing on the southern lane. The northbound traffic began to move but she couldn't enter Fieldway Crescent because traffic was still flowing normally in the southwards direction. Somehow, she and her bike became caught up in the lorry as it began to move, the driver having no idea that she was anywhere near his vehicle because he could not have seen her from his position in his cab.
> 
> 
> I have to that I regard such an attempt to enter Fieldway Crescent as very dangerous. If we are coming along Holloway Road in a northerly direction, we always swing into the cycle lane in Madras Place and wait for the lights to change. Mostly, that's fine but even then at busy times of day there are sometimes cars moving slowly along Holloway Road while the lights are against them, could they but see the lights. It is a very long junction and there is only one northbound light, at the stop position, and nothing on the far side of the junction to show the lights have changed. If vehicles have passed the one light at green or orange they think they are justified in continuing regardless of the control system. It's dangerous and altercations occur on occasion. There's a very short green period for cyclists to cross over Holloway Road and cars can sometimes be a block to achieving a crossing despite the yellow grid on the road.
> ...


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## spindrift (12 Sep 2008)

I heard a copper waved on the lorry?


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## LLB (12 Sep 2008)

CotterPin said:


> This has been posted on the ICAG email list from a report from an eye witness:



It is a shame that poor road planning only seems to be rectified after such tragedy's occur


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