Cycle Girl

They didn’t talk much in the morning in the flat in Kentish Town, north
London, that Eilidh Cairns shared with her friends. Who does? On the
bitterly cold morning of February 5, though, Eilidh told her sister, who was
staying, not to fret, that she looked good for a meeting but that she
“shouldn’t wear boots with that suit”. Eilidh lent her sister a cool pair of
shoes.

She set off on her usual route of nearly 10 miles to her office in Chiswick, a
journey she often made with her boyfriend Giles as far as Connaught Street,
near Marble Arch, before they parted ways. She rode a “pretty damn cool”
Daniel Salmon fixie in metallic pastel shades and was a good cyclist.

A few months earlier Giles had forwarded her a piece on a courier webzine,
Moving Target, about HGV blind spots.

At Notting Hill Gate, Eilidh slowed at the pedestrian crossing outside
Waterstone’s, and there, at 8.58am, she got stuck on the driver’s side and
was dragged under the wheels of a tipper lorry. The fire brigade cut her
free and she was taken to the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel. At
10.59am she died.

The driver is on police bail pending the investigation.

Eilidh’s memory is very much alive, not just for her family and many friends,
but for anyone who passes the memorial that has sprung up on a traffic
island near where the collision happened: it includes a pair of bright pink
wheels, photographs, candles, memories and flowers.

On March 7, about 300 of her family, friends and fellow cyclists rode her
route to work in her memory, gathering at the traffic island.

I met Don Simpson, the investigating officer, as he trawled the shops for any
CCTV that might explain why a sensible and experienced cyclist was involved
in an accident of this nature. No witnesses to the collision have come
forward. HGVs are involved in more than 50% of London cycle deaths,
according to Transport for London.

Eilidh’s sister, Kate, said: “The government is trying to encourage everyone
to reduce their carbon emissions. Cyclists are doing their bit every time
they choose to get on their bikes. Instead of being made safe they are being
penalised. More to protect cyclists.”

Eilidh died at 30. She loved life-affirming activity: sailing, snowboarding
and, that simple pleasure more and more of us are discovering, cycling.

Witnesses can contact the police on 020 7388 6806, or Kate Cairns on WhatHappenedOnFeb5@ymail.com

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article5945315.ece