Vigil at fatal junction tomorrow 6pm

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

The excellent London Cycling Campaign, Road Peace and London Living Streets invite cyclists, pedestrians and motor vehicle users who want to make our roads safe for all to use to a vigil at the junction of Euston/Pentonville Roads and York Way – close to the ghost bike for Deep Lee (Min Joo Lee). 6pm Tuesday 20 December  2011.

At present, the Mayor of London and Transport for London’s roads policies are shaped by their priority of smoothing traffic flow. This means shifting as many motor vehicles as possible through London’s roads. We want that policy priority to change. We want safe streets designed with the needs of each different type of road user in mind – not just cars, buses and lorries. 

Our capital should be a walking city. There’s no reason why not. Our capital should be a cycling city. There’s no reason why not. Our capital should not be a perilous place, it should not be off putting to arrive here at the biggest transport hub in Europe and have to dodge vast amounts of traffic. Where is the vision? Where is the imagination? Where is the humanity?

Please join the vigil tomorrow at 6pm. 

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Limited improvements to fatal junction begin next month

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

From 9 January 2012 to 9 January 2013 the left turn at the junction of Euston Road/Pentonville Road into York Way will be suspended at certain times of the day whilst Transport for London (TfL) undertakes limited improvements.

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A cow named Alison

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

There are many places in Africa where cows are currency and having a cow named after you is a very high honour. That’s just what’s happened for Alison Hall, founder and driving force behind Seeds for Development. Alison is currently seconded from IBM to StartUK based just up the road. Each trip she makes to Uganda she funds herself, and to make things work practically yours truly house sits looking after Gypsy the Russell terrier, Jelly and Boss the cats and Edwina the chicken (RIP chicken Nugget recently lost to a hungry fox).

Inspired by Josephine Okot‘s work back in 2007, Alison decided to sponsor a Ugandan farmer. Fast forward to 2011 and Alison now runs Seeds for Development supporting over 700 farmers by providing small loans for seeds. When the crop is successful, the loans are repaid and promptly recycled creating a constant cycle of support. Alison has just posted an update on the work done during 2011, and one heck of a read it is including details of Alison’s meeting with 40 teenage mothers and plans by the farmers to set up the brand new ‘Excellent Coffee Company’.

100% of donations to Seeds for Development go to the farmers. Seeds are not expensive, so funds go a long way. For example, £35 pays for bean seeds to cover one acre – the farmer can make over £300 from that acre of beans.

This Christmas, if you are looking for a cause to support, one with local links that makes a solid practical difference to people’s lives then visit the Seeds for Development website and make a donation. And don’t forget to say Hi to Alison from me (the woman that is… not the cow!).

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London Souls exhibition in the St Pancras crypt

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Clare Hill
Ed Gray – Afternoon in the Cross

Afternoon in the Cross

An exhibition of works by Londoner Ed Gray opens this Tuesday at the Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church. It runs until 22 December and is open 10am–6pm daily, with a 
private view on Thursday 15 December, 6.30–8.30pm. See the links for more information.

From the exhibition invitation:

Gray is a chronicler of London who has painted the evolving story of London life over many years. Inspired by the hurly-burly of Hogarth’s London, Gray’s mission is to unearth the passion and energy of the city by sketching London souls and preserving their precious interactions on canvas to share with the viewer.

Lovers, fighters, workers, gossips, carousers and the broken and damaged spill from the street to the pages of his sketchbook and finally onto canvasses that celebrate the industry, passion and drive of actual Londoners and their part in the continuing story of London. St Pancras Church was built in 1820, and if you listen carefully, you
 can almost hear the whispers of London souls from days gone by.

The artist has deftly captured the gritty minutiae outside King’s Cross station – no bad thing.

Clare Hill

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | 2 Comments

Community funded trees planted

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

John Ashwell writes: Thanks to all who supported the campaign to fund the planting of the two trees on Wharfdale road that blew over.  These two urban wildlife friendly Prunus Avium Plena (flowers pictured left) were planted on Friday 9 December, sooner than expected with the council prioritising their planting in response to the generosity of the local community. 

They are beautiful, healthy saplings, though the ground beneath was very poor quality, so they may take a little while to establish.  The third tree, for which Cally Arts, a local community organisation run by Lisa Tang, has generously funded the shortfall required, will be planted over the next couple of months, outside the new Pret on Wharfdale Road.

Please note that the two trees planted were planted alongside the original tree pits, as it is difficult to get all the roots out with services so close by beneath the pavement.  I have asked that the council make good these two old pits with paving to cover them over, and hope to see that done in due course.

Plaques will be attached next week to the two guards, once fixings have been made, and a reporter has approached me wishing to run an article in the Camden New Journal and Islington Gazette on the community support for these trees.  It would be good if a few people could turn up for a photo  by the trees at 1pm on Thursday 15 December

Thanks again for you generosity of spirit, and please speak kindly to the trees as you pass them by, to give them a good start given they have landed in such poor soil!

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TfL asks for Deep Lee’s memorial to be removed

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

In a heart-rending interview in this week’s Camden New Journal, Deep Lee’s (Min Joo Lee) boyfriend Kenji Hirasawa reveals that TfL have approached him to remove the ghost bike placed as a memorial to her tragic and totally avoidable death on the notorious King’s Cross gyratory system.

Kenji says that authorities in charge of traffic in London should feel “ashamed” that a cycling blackspot still existed in “one of the most advanced cities in the world”.

Yet at a meeting at Camden Town  Hall earlier this week officers from TfL and Camden trotted out the same old, same old responses to calls for action: targets are already being met… changes would cause traffic delays… they don’t have enough time as the Olympic Games approaches… they can’t find a workable solution… they are complying with existing standards…

With the Mayoral election fast approaching it’s going to be interesting to see which candidates put road safety for ALL road users at the top of the agenda, who will give an unambiguous commitment to remove the perilous and outmoded KX gyratory system completely. There is a workable solution, it is likely to be radical and costly, it needs to be identified and implemented and it will stop deaths like Deep’s. She was clearly a beautiful and well loved human being with her life in front of her. This isn’t the time for the usual platitudes and bureaucratic responses.

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Vote for KX in the Nativity Factor!

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

With our own KX X Factor winner Alexandra Burke on the cover of winter’s edition of Islington Life, now’s our chance to win the ITN competition The Nativity Factor but you must get your vote in now!

In the most heart warming story Amanda Maister and Katherine Maxwell-Cook interview local people (including many you might recognise!) about recent events that have shaken KX putting us at the heart of the Christmas tale 😉 I promise this film will leave you smiling.

Watch the film short here and don’t forget to vote before midnight tonight! 

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Road safety motion at GLA scuppered by walkout

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

At yesterday’s Greater London Assembly plenary session, member Jenny Jones put forward an important motion for discussion which was supported by, among many others, our local Greater London Assembly member Jennette Arnold:

“This Assembly deeply regrets the deaths of cyclists on London’s road network and wishes to express its condolences for the loss felt by their relatives and friends. We are concerned that some cyclist deaths and injuries could have been avoided if the road network designs for the locations where these deaths and injuries occurred had been safer. We therefore call on the Mayor and Tfl to:

  • Provide a comprehensive list of dangerous road junctions across London for cyclists, to include any where a fatal cycling accident has occurred;
  • Carry out a full review of each of these junctions, considering any proposals made by cycling and road safety groups on how to redesign these junctions to make them safer. These reviews should be publicly available and include details on why any suggestions have been rejected.
  • Secure an agreement with the Department for Transport to roll out Trixi mirrors at all major junctions across London, to help ensure cyclists are visible to drivers
  • Look into expanding cycle training across London Boroughs.
  • Bring forward proposals to improve cycle safety at Bow roundabout, King’s Cross and the junction of Tower Bridge Road and Abbey street where recent cyclist fatalities have occurred.”

Unfortunately, the discussion didn’t take place as one political party walked out before it could be taken.

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