Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has reiterated calls for lorries to be banned at rush hour in London to protect cyclists.
The news comes after the death of a female cyclist following a collision with a lorry in Ms Harman's constituency of Camberwell, south London. She was the sixth cyclist to die in London this year.
‘Thoughts with woman cyclist hit by lorry near Camberwell Green,’ she Tweeted, ‘ban lorries at rush hour. Cycling should be safe’.
In a statement, Ms Harman added: 'It’s tragic that yet another cyclist - a young woman - has been critically injured in Southwark. My thoughts are with her.
'I want to see London being a safe place for cyclists. That’s why I strongly support Southwark Council’s proposal for a ‘safe cycling hour’ during the morning and evening rush hour, banning HGV’s on the roads at those times. People must be able to cycle to work safely.'
Speaking to the Telegraph, a Labour party spokesman said Ms Harman was speaking in her capacity as MP for Camberwell and Peckham and that a ban on lorries was not party policy.
Peter Shakespeare, of the Road Haulage Association, said in response that banning trucks would be a ‘kneejerk reaction’, adding that the industry ‘has gone a long way to address some of the issues’.
‘There are already quite strict restrictions on lorry movements at night and to increase those restrictions further could compromise the supply chain that keeps the nation’s capital functioning. Foods, clothes - you name it, it has to travel on the back of a lorry,’ he said.
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