Five cyclists were struck and killed by motor vehicles on the streets of London in early November. The deaths occurred within a nine-day period, raising the total number of biking fatalities to 13 for the year.
In protest, a large number of the city's bicyclists staged a "die-in" last week outside the offices ofTransport for London. They lit candles, painted their faces in fake blood and — essentially — played dead on the roads.
Some have argued the recent deaths have to do with the city's bike lanes: narrow, blue-painted lines on the sides of the streets that, like most cycling paths, don't offer any real separation between those in vehicles and those on bikes. Others, like Mayor Boris Johnson, say reckless bicycling is most likely to blame.
SEE ALSO: For Bike Lanes, Design Makes All The Difference
Bruce McVean, a design manager at UK-based startup Beyond Green, doesn't take the issue lightly. Three years ago, he started Movement for a Liveable London, a group focused on creating a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
It serves mostly as a meet-and-chat. Once a month, McVean invites speakers to talk about issues like speed limits, traffic congestion and bicycle rights, then encourages his listeners to spread what they've learned and demand more street-safe action from the city's politicians.
Image: Flickr, Robert Scoble
"Our focus is on events — to get people to come together and talk about these things," he says. "It's quite informal. We usually hold them in a pub or something, to make them welcoming as possible."
His speaking guests vary, from street design experts to campaign organizers. But McVean insists it's not a campaign group — it's "a way to convince existing campaigners to break out of their silos." While he's not physically advocating for a specific change — say, wider bike lanes in the city — he's hoping his seminars will inspire, educate and, above all, nudge those listening to take action.
The site is also a database of resources. Every presentation in the group's three-year history is stored in the archives. Usually, they're in the form of PowerPoint presentations. Some, like the video below of Rod King of the group 20's Plenty For Us, are filmed.
Recently, McVean says, the conversation has focused around how to reduce the amount of traffic caused by home deliveries — ahem, drones? — and create new space that's both spacious and pedestrian-only. The recent spate of cyclist deaths are one more reason to increase the debate, he says.
SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Bike-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
"It's the negative impact of motor vehicles that need the most attention," he says. "Car ownership in the city is actually falling, statistically, but the big challenge is how to manage commercial trucks and vans that have been driving people off the streets. There's no clear strategy coming from the mayor's office."
And that's a direction he's hoping to move toward. With the next mayoral elections coming up in 2016, McVean plans to monitor each potential candidates' respective stances on street safety — what plans, if any, they promise to enact — and create a library of resources on the group's website. If a Londoner is deciding between two or more mayoral candidates, McVean wants his site to be the go-to resource to help make a decision.
Image: Bruce McVean
"The main message, to people who campaign, or anyone here interested, is to be informed and consequently active about street safety," he says. "We want more leadership from the top. People who have the political will to say: 'This needs to be a city for people; where they feel safe spending time.'"
SEE ALSO: These Pedestrian Maps Are a Feat of Design, Data and Diligence
You can stay up-to-date with all the presentations, past and current, on the group's website.
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