Partner of cyclist killed by lorry wants new law

Ninian Donald, 33, was crushed under a skip lorry when the driver failed to see him and turned left into his path at traffic lights.

Mr Donald, a set builder, was cycling from his studio in Hackney to a hardware shop when he was knocked down at the junction of Kingsland Road and Whiston Road last May. An inquest at Poplar coroner's court last week ruled the collision was an accident despite claims by his family that the haulage truck's wide-angle mirrors were incorrectly positioned.

Mr Donald's partner, Kate Evenden, said: "The police might have decided the lorry driver was not at fault, but it is not good enough to say there was a blind spot and he didn't see. Surely there needs to be a change in the law with HGV drivers made responsible for their mirrors and to ensure they are trained to be aware of cyclists.

"If cycling is being promoted then we need higher standards of driving. Everyone who knew Ninian knew he was a responsible cyclist. He drove a van and a car and had good road sense. He didn't take risks."

The Evening Standard is campaigning for safer conditions for London's cyclists, including the fitting of better mirrors to heavy goods vehicles.

Miss Evenden told the inquest that on the morning of the tragedy Mr Donald bathed the couple's 19-month-old daughter, Ava Rose, and then dropped her off at nursery before cycling to work. He left his studio on his bike to pick up supplies at around 10.30am.

CCTV images showed him riding in the bus and cycle lane in Kingsland Road. As a bus came to a halt at a stop, Mr Donald rode up on to the pavement to avoid it and then rejoined the road moments before the lorry in the righthand lane started turning left.

Lorry driver Bernard Madden said he checked his mirrors before he indicated and only began moving his vehicle once the lights had turned green. Witnesses told how they heard screams when Mr Donald was pulled under the lorry's wheels as it turned the corner.

Crash investigator Pc Adrian Cousins told the court the lorry's mirrors adhered to guidelines and the cause of the accident was Mr Donald disobeying the Highway Code by riding up on to the pavement and cutting back too close to the lorry as it was turning.

He said: "Because of Mr Donald's position on the road he was not seen by Mr Madden on the inside lane. Mr Donald joined the road where he could not see the lorry had indicated. It was a combination of these factors that led to this tragic accident."

Miss Evenden, a television art director, said she has found it hard to care for the couple's daughter without Ava Rose's "brilliant father".

She added: "Ava Rose asks for her father every day. It's unbelievable how much she misses him. I have pictures of him around and tell her all about him but our lives have been changed for ever."

Miss Evenden backed the Standard's Safer Cycling Campaign, calling for "urgent changes in the law".