Shatha Ali: TfL chief says his “heart sank” on hearing of her death
(Picture: Ali family )The number of cyclists being killed at Holborn calls into doubt Transport for London’s claim to prioritise the safety of Londoners, Mayor Sadiq Khan has been told.
Ex-lawyer Shatha Ali became the eighth cyclist to die in the area since 2008 when she was hit by a HGV near Holborn Tube station on March 1.
Her death came seven months after that of Dr Marta Krawiec, who was hit by a left-turning lorry at the junction of Southampton Row and Theobalds Road in August last year.
Tributes were paid to Ms Ali, 39, at a meeting of TfL’s board on Wednesday as Mr Khan, the TfL chairman, wowed the organisation would “walk the walk” on its “Vision Zero” commitment to reducing road danger.
Julian Bell, a board member, said he had attended a vigil organised by London Cycling Campaign in the wake of Ms Ali’s death.
He spoke with LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha, who warned him that TfL’s reputation was on the line if cyclists kept dying at Holborn.
Following yet another fatal collision in the Holborn one way system, hundreds gathered to protest lack of action and Shatha Ali's death. We need @MayorofLondon, @TfL & boroughs @londoncouncils to act before next fatality not after #dangerousjunctionshttps://t.co/xJb4zc7OOE
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) March 7, 2022
Mr Bell told the TfL board: “In speaking to people there, there was a real concern - this was from Ashok Sinha - that TfL risks losing its credibility in having its number one priority as safety if something is not done to address the Holborn gyratory.”
Dr Lynn Sloman, a fellow board member, said: “To get two young women, a consultant paediatrician and a lawyer, killed in six months at one junction absolutely demands action.”
A wholescale redesign of the gyratory has been proposed for years but has been delayed by a lack of funds and the need to respond to the pandemic.
TfL commissioner Andy Byford revealed he had been on a call with Will Norman, the mayor’s walking and cycling commissioner, and Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, when news came through of Ms Ali’s death.
Mr Byford said: “Our hearts sank that (a) someone had been killed and (b) that it should be at that location.”
The TfL board was told that £700,000 had been allocated to Camden council to hep fund a study into long-term changes at Holborn.
The council has made permanent changes at the junction where Dr Krawiec, an allergy expert at Evelina London children’s hospital, was fatally injured.
Mr Khan said: “I’m concerned about what Ashok and London Cycling Campaign have said about us ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to safety.
“It’s really important we ‘walk the walk’ and ‘cycle the cycle’ in relation to these issues.”
