A music student has been named as one of three people killed cycling in the same London borough in recent weeks.
The Hackney Cycling Campaign published a tribute to Harry Webb in advance of a protest ride on Wednesday evening to demand safer streets.
The protest, which starts at Mabley Street at 5.30pm and is due at Hackney town hall at 6.30pm, is also in memory of a 36-year-old mother-of-two and a man in his 40s who have been killed while cycling in Hackney in the same six-week period.
Mr Webb was seriously injured in a collision in Kenworthy Road, Homerton, on the evening of Sunday September 10. He died two days later.
He was the only child of Pat and Mike Webb, who live in Wales. They had dropped him off at a new house-share in Hackney only hours before the tragedy. The family’s grief is said to be “unbearable”.
A statement shared with the Standard by Hackney Cycling Campaign said: “Harry was only 27 years old, and he had a great future in front of him. He had a maths and philosophy degree from Bristol University, a masters in philosophy from Amsterdam university and he had embarked on a further masters last year at London College of Contemporary Music. The day after the crash was to be Harry’s first day of the second year of his course.
“Harry was a kind, warm, generous and loving person, and had friends all over the world, from all nationalities and faiths. Harry was bright, engaging and loved the challenge of learning new things and travelling to new places. He has had a lifelong love of music, he was a drummer, pianist and composed music.
“Harry had just moved into his new house-share near Kenworthy Road with some musician friends who were working on projects together. It was a hot September day and after a hard day sorting out his new living space, he decided to go for an evening swim at the Lido.
“Harry’s parents had dropped him off in London that Sunday and within a couple of hours of returning to Wales they received the emergency call. Harry’s injuries were terrible, the hospital did an emergency operation in hope of giving him a chance, but his injuries were too severe, and he passed away two days later.
“Harry’s parents have said the grief and devastation this has brought to their family is unbearable. The loss of a beautiful young man who had so much to offer this world is keenly felt in the close-knit community in Crickhowell in South Wales.
“They have said that Harry believed that the roads in London could be made much safer. Harry’s parents hope that their support can help prevent further tragedies.”
Earlier this month, the Met police told the Standard that Mr Webb had been struck by a car that then collided with another vehicle.
The car driver – a 24-year-old woman – was arrested on suspicion of causing GBH by dangerous driving. She has been bailed pending further inquiries.
Campaigners have repeatedly called for action after previous road collisions and near-misses on Kenworthy Road.
The protest ride will pass Kenworthy Road before heading to Whiston Road, where the woman cyclist suffered fatal injuries in an alleged hit-and-run collision with a car on the evening of September 21. She was taken to hospital but died of her injuries.
It also emerged on Tuesday that the male cyclist in his 40s who was seriously injured in a collision in Shoreditch on August 14 had not survived his injuries.
The crash happened at the junction of Great Eastern Street and Curtain Road. He is believed to have died more than 30 days after the collision.
His death has been recorded by TfL on its list of road deaths in the capital, which now number at least 88 people in 2023, including seven cyclists.
The Hackney Cycling Campaign said that at least 225 people had been killed or seriously injured cycling in the borough in the past five years –45 people a year on average.
Residents of Whiston Road and campaign groups had previously called for Hackney council to relocate the previously planned filter on Pritchard’s Road (in Tower Hamlets) to the Hackney-side of this notoriously high-speed stretch of road, or implement other measures to reduce traffic speed and volume.
Garmon ap Garth, Hackney Cycling Campaign co-ordinator, said: "We acknowledge that Hackney council has done more than most London boroughs to enable cycling over many years, including introducing traffic filters, leading to the highest cycling levels in London. Yet the recent deaths highlight that more action is required to make Hackney’s streets safer.
“We propose a bus gate on Whiston Road to prevent through traffic, and a toucan crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on Kenworthy Road.
“If Hackney council or TfL have a better solution, we are keen to hear it, and we look forward to them bringing forward a solution urgently.
“We are also calling on the council to implement the actions that we know will reduce road danger, so that we can move towards Vision Zero as quickly as possible."
Tom Fyans, chief executive of London Cycling Campaign, said: "Far more people cycle in Hackney than most of the rest of London partly because it has invested in cycling infrastructure including Low Traffic Neighbourhoods to make it safer for everyone. But these recent tragedies show how much work there is still left to do.
“We cannot accept that roads like Kenworthy and Whiston either wait another decade for anything or get a half-baked treatment that means speeding drivers, big lorries and a lack of safe infrastructure mean an ongoing death toll every year.
“That’s why it is so important that the Mayor of London and TfL and the next Mayor of Hackney, hear loud and clear from communities that they must not roll back or slow progress, but must accelerate it. We cannot wait until 2041 to eliminate serious and fatal collisions from London’s streets."
