London cycling deaths: Woman killed in lorry crash becomes fourth fatality in eight days on streets of capital

London Assembly member Darren Johnson accuses mayor Boris Johnson of 'failure to make roads safer'

The roundabout at the Bow flyover where a woman cyclist was killed in the morning rush-hour (PA)

A female cyclist died this morning after a collision with a lorry, becoming the fourth cycling fatality in London in just eight days.

In what has been a dark month for cycling in the capital, two more people were seriously injured today – adding to the two taken to hospital after severe crashes yesterday.

In the first accident of this morning’s rush-hour, paramedics were called to Bow in the east of the city at 8.45am to reports that a woman in her mid-20s had been dragged under a truck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said it was believed the lorry was travelling west along the A11, entering the roundabout to turn south towards the Blackwall Tunnel. The cyclist was understood to have been travelling in the same direction when they collided.

The male driver of the lorry stopped at the scene, and police said there had been no arrests.

In the second incident today, a 30-year-old male cyclist suffered injuries that left him fighting for his life in hospital. Police were called just after 9am following reports of a collision again involving a cyclist and a lorry in Westminster.

Some roads in the area around the junction with Thorney Street on Millbank were closed following the incident.

And in a third incident this morning alone, a woman in her 30s was taken to hospital with injuries to her leg after colliding with a bus on Vauxhall Bridge, according to reports in the Evening Standard.

Yesterday, a cyclist died after he was struck by a bus on Croydon’s tram line at around midday. The man in his 40s was believed to have spent some 15 minutes trapped under the vehicle before he could be freed.

London Ambulance Service said the man went into cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital, but died at approximately 1.20pm, the BBC said.

Also yesterday, another cyclist was hit by a bus in south east London. He was described as being in a “serious but stable” condition.

And in Spitalfields, a female cyclist trapped under a VW Golf had her life saved when a group of bystanders lifted the car off her and turned it on its side.

Transport for London said that 12 cyclists have now died on London’s roads this year, compared with 14 in 2012.

London Assembly Green Party member Darren Johnson said: “The mayor's (London mayor Boris Johnson) failure to make roads safer for cycling in the last six years is the reason we are having so many tragedies now.”

Mr Johnson said: “Any death on London's roads is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the cyclists who have lost their lives.

“In the past decade, the number of cyclists in the capital has almost trebled and it is absolutely vital that we continue to invest huge sums of money into improving cycling infrastructure and making it as safe as possible.”

He added: “I've committed almost £1 billion to doing just that, with major improvements being made to junctions and superhighways across London and plans to ensure HGVs not fitted with safety equipment will face charges.

“More work is under way and, although changes cannot be made instantly, they are being done as quickly as possible. This is, and remains, an absolute priority for me, my team and Transport for London.”