Family’s plea to respect cycle box rules after rider Karla Roman killed by coach

“Safe cyclist”: Karla Roman was knocked down less than a mile from her office at a firm of architects
ES Local Feed
Mary O'Connor24 August 2018

The family of a young architect who was killed as she cycled to work have urged drivers to respect road laws to prevent further tragedies.

They spoke out after Barry Northcott was convicted of causing Karla Roman’s death by careless driving.

His coach collided with the 32-year-old as she waited at a red light on a cycle superhighway in Whitechapel, less than a mile from her office in Shoreditch. Northcott had failed to spot Miss Roman in his mirrors.

The architect, who grew up in Brazil and spoke four languages, died at the Royal London Hospital after the crash at 9am on February 6 last year.

Northcott, 40, of Bromley, was found guilty at Woolwich crown court last week. He was bailed to appear for sentencing on September 21.

Harpreet Sandu, prosecuting, told the court the driver had made a “deliberate decision” to pull into the cycle box at the traffic lights. Earlier in the trial, jurors heard he had told police he regularly ignored the rule stating vehicles must not stop in the cycle box, to “stop himself being swamped by cyclists”.

"Karla was let down by the driver of the coach when he disregarded the cycle box … which is there for a reason"

Family of Karla Roman

Described by her family as a “passionate and safe cyclist”, Miss Roman had moved to London in 2012 to pursue her career after studying architecture in Brazil and Turin, Italy.

She lived with her boyfriend and had worked as an architectural assistant at the award-winning firm LOM Architecture and Design since January 2015.

In a statement by their spokeswoman Kathryn Betts, the family said: “Karla was a passionate and safe cyclist.

“She was waiting patiently at a red light in the cycle box, where she should have been safe. We feel Karla was let down by the driver of the coach when he disregarded the cycle box … which resulted in this fatal incident.

“We would appeal to any drivers reading this to think about your actions and respect the cycle box, which is there for a reason.” Miss Roman was one of eight cyclists killed on London’s streets last year. There have already been eight cycling deaths in the capital so far this year.

Her family, from Bento Gonçalves in south-eastern Brazil, also said they were “disappointed” that Northcott had failed to accept responsibility for the crash and plead guilty, adding: “He has to live with the consequences of his decision for the rest of his life.” They also called for stricter enforcement of the law governing cycle boxes.

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