Yet more Londoners die under HGV wheels

While BBC London news continues to regard knife killings as newsworthy, it continues to blank out the regular killing of cyclists and pedestrians by Heavy Goods Vehicles. The latest two HGV fatalities, which occurred in the past nine days, involved pedestrians:

A PEDESTRIAN from Catford died following a collision with an HGV in Plumstead. The incident happened near the traffic light junction of Plumstead High Street, White Hart Road and Lakedale Road, at about 12.30pm on Friday (November 21).

And

A shopper died under the wheels of a lorry – yards away from one of the most dangerous crossings in London. The woman, aged about 60, was carrying bags of shopping when she stepped out on a pedestrian crossing in Upper Street, Angel, opposite the Mall, at midday on Tuesday. She was hit by a north-bound 16-tonne lorry and ended up trapped under its front wheels.

Another account describes how

She was in collision with a six-wheeled Iveco Eurocargo - ending up under its front wheels. (It’s funny how journalists always describe pedestrians and cyclists “colliding” with motor vehicles, isn’t it? Never the other way round.)

This fatality occurred just a short distance from another nightmare crossing, where “The wait between crossing times is too long, the pedestrian island is too small, the railings are dangerous for cyclists, and vehicles are still passing when the green man comes on.”

Meanwhile

PEDESTRIANS were forced to walk in the road by signs telling drivers to watch out for... pedestrians. Sarah Williams, 29, who walks along Turnmill Street every day to the production company where she works, said: "It's ludicrous! The signs take up half the pavement. It gets so busy here, and it's even worse at night. People have to walk in the road and the traffic won't slow down for them."

Funny, all this. According to the road lobby, pedestrians in London are inhabiting a veritable paradise.