Mostly left turns is a project visually documenting the locations of all cycling fatalities involving motor-vehicles in London during 2015. It consists of a series of photographs depicting the last movements of the eight cyclists killed. The title reflects the fact that all but one of these deaths were caused by left-turning lorries. The one exception being the death of Clifton James in Harrow who was killed by a car. Of the seven cyclist killed by lorries it’s notable that six of these were women.
The eight fatal accidents presented here are in chronological order. Each photograph was taken at the site of the accident, and a light trail depicts the last moments of the journey of the cyclist. Where the light trail ends is the spot the cyclist was struck, and more often than not, killed instantly.
The light trails were created by a cyclist riding towards the camera set to a long exposure, their bike fitted with a very bright, but commonly available, bike-light. It seemed important somehow that a bicycle be used as an integral part of making these images. In every instance myself and a friend, Tim May, rode to the scenes at dawn in order to take the photographs without any traffic present.
The project Mostly left turns won the LensCulture 2015 Visual Story Telling Award. The work was exhibited by the Royal Photographic Society in September 2016 at the Magic Gallery in Charing Cross, London.
Stephanie Turner, a 29-year-old physiotherapist, was killed by a left-turning lorry at the junction of Seven Sisters Road and Amhurst Park N16 at eight o’clock in the morning on Tuesday 20 January 2015. She was cycling to a patient appointment.
The lorry driver was arrested at the scene and later jailed for six months after admitting causing death by careless driving. However, on appeal, his sentence was judged too severe and the driver was released after serving little over one month.
Akis Kollaros, a 34-year-old Greek-born music producer, was killed by a left-turning lorry at the junction of Wardle Street and Homerton High Street E9 at twenty past four in the afternoon on Monday 2 February 2015.
The driver stopped at the scene. He later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and was jailed for 20 weeks. The driver did not indicate, use his mirrors, nor stop at the junction before he unwittingly manoeuvred over Mr Kollaros killing him instantly.
Federica Baldassa, 26, an Italian national working as a fashion buyer in London, was killed by a left-turning lorry at the junction of Bloomsbury Square and Vernon Place WC1 at twenty past nine in the evening of Friday 6 February 2015 as she cycled home.
The driver was not held to be responsible for the accident.
Claire Hitier-Abadie, a 36-year-old French national and mother of two, was killed by a lorry as it turned left from Bressenden Place into Victoria Street SW1. She was the only victim in 2015 killed while riding a hire bike. The accident happened at eight o’clock in the morning on Thursday 19 February 2015.
The lorry driver, although not initially arrested, subsequently admitted causing death by careless driving. He failed to spot Mrs Hitier-Abadie as he had been tidying his cab while waiting for the traffic lights to change, and did not indicate. The driver escaped prison as the victim’s husband asked for clemency.
At half past nine in the morning on Monday 9 March 2015 Moira Gemmill, 55, a former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, was killed by a lorry manoeuvring left on the northern roundabout of Lambeth Bridge on Millbank SW1.
The lorry driver pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving at a brief hearing at the Old Bailey in September 2016. His trial is scheduled for February 2017.
Esther Hartsilver, a 32-year-old physiotherapist, was fatally injured by a lorry turning left from Denmark Hill into Orpheus Street SE5 at eight o’clock in the morning on Thursday 28 May 2015.
The lorry driver was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing at a trial in September 2016.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday 21 June 2015 Clifton James, 60, was hit by a car in Forward Drive, Harrow. Clifton, a mechanic, was returning from work and killed just moments from his home. Exactly how the accident occurred remains unclear.
The driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Ying Tao, 26, a Chinese national and financial consultant, was killed by a left-turning lorry at Bank EC3 at nine o’clock in the morning of Tuesday 23 June 2015 while travelling to work. The driver of the 32-tonne lorry stopped at the scene but was not arrested.
In July 2016 an inquest concluded the driver was not at fault. Evidence showed Mrs Tao had been visible in three of the lorry’s mirrors as the vehicle cut across the cyclist’s path and that the driver had only started to indicate once he pulled away from the lights. Mrs Tao was criticised for cycling too slowly and for being in an unsafe position despite travelling in a marked cycle lane.