Samantha Reeves
WVoN co-editor 

The Times newspaper has launched a national ‘Cities fit for cycling’ campaign in the UK, months after one of their own journalists, Mary Bowers, was hit by a cement truck on her way to work.

She has been in a coma ever since.

In November last year, Central St Martins student Min Joo Lee become the third female cyclist in five years to die at Kings Cross.

The Times has produced an eight point manifesto, including demands for trucks entering cities to have extra sensors and mirrors, a call for 500 of the most dangerous road junctions to be identified and suggestions for cyclist training.

You can read the manifesto and pledge your support here.

At the same time however, London’s transport authority, TfL, has tried to keep secret its own report showing that women are more likely to be hit by lorries on London’s roads.

It shows that men are less likely to be hit by HGVs because they are more likely to disobey red lights. Women, who are generally more cautious cyclists, tend to hug kerbs and obey red lights. As a result they get caught in lorry drivers’ “blind spot”.

The National Cyclists’ organisation said that 10 of the 13 people who died in cycling accidents in the capital in 2010 were women, eight of them killed by heavy goods vehicles, although there are three times more male cyclists than female.

Dawn Foster, the blogger behind 101 wankers, documenting cases of sexual harassment whilst cycling around London, has given up cycling in London because of the dangers at this – now – infamous Kings Cross junction, among others.

Conservative members of the Greater London Authority have twice walked out on a debate at city hall about removing the 20 mph speed limit on London’s Blackfriars bridge.