On Friday at their request, I attended Islington Police Station to met with the police officers investigating Min Joo ‘Deep’ Lee’s death at the junction of York Way and Pentonville Road.  Cllr Paul Convery (Islington Lab) and Cllr Paul Braithwaite (Camden LibDem) accompanied me.  The police team was led by a Detective Chief Inspector and included the investigating officers for the accident and an expert from the Traffic Management Unit.  This followed my letter. There’s an ongoing investigation so I won’t go into details of the discussion.  The Councillors and I set out the specific road safety issues in the  Kings Cross and Euston areas and the strategic failings of TfL with regard to road safety in Kings Cross and London more broadly.  We had a detailed discussion about both matters.

We found the officers well informed and serious in their intent to investigate this case and prevent future death on the roads.  A small, cynical part of me had expected a ‘stakeholder management’ encounter to placate local interests.  But I was pleased that this was in fact a purposeful working meeting where our local knowledge and corporate memory added to police thinking.  We agreed to send useful information, in particular Jim Gleeson’s analysis of the startling increase in cycling numbers around Kings Cross from DfT data and information about TfL’s unimplemented plans in the Camden area.

If you wish to do your bit for a campaign to make Kings Cross safer then you can add your story of cycling or walking in Kings Cross to our disturbing list (which Sophie is now mapping brilliantly).  We are building up to a public meeting on which more soon.