Emma Cray was a close friend of mine. Unlike most people I know she became more interested and involved in political ideas and action as she got older rather than giving up on them. She moved to London, to live with me (and Ted) at the beginning of 1995, she helped with the distribution and did her own thing too. On the 14th of September 1995 she was crushed by a truck whilst she was cycling through Mile End, in East London. My memories of her are full of love and beauty as well as intelligence, enquiry, imagination and fun.
Active Distriibution published these pamphlets in her memory and with her spirit of hope and determination to do something worthwhile despite everything! There is no party line here or consistency of thought but there is a constant desire to find out what is really going on and what we can do about it. "Debunking" the mental status quo as Emma and I liked to say.
Jon @ctive
For more information please go to In the Spirit of Emma Publications.
Wednesday 17 February 2010
London Critical Mass report from Sept 1995
September 1995
Yes its on again this week - whatever the weather.
In part this Fridays ride will be a tribute to Emma Cray, a CM rider who was killed by a lorry 13 days ago. Yet another case of a left turning lorry driver not checking his "blind spot" before crushing her to death. Again it was the type of 30 tonne tipper lorry that the Department of Transport exempted from European safety standards regarding side guards and mirrors. This type of lorry is very common in London and other urban areas and is in part responsible for the situation that in London lorries are 30 times more likely to kill cyclists than cars.
Come to the CM ride this Friday to show there is safety in numbers and that the future can only be better when more and more people cycle together.
Charlie Lloyd, London Cycling Campaign
c.lloyd@unl.ac.uk
This months CM was dedicated to Emma Cray who was tragically knocked off her bike and killed on Burdett Road, Near Mile End.
The Mass eventually moved off from the NFT, watched by a few TV cameras and a police helicopter, over Waterloo Bridge towards the East End - the feeling of unity nevers wears off when you enter the city from the bridge followed by 100's of cyclists...
I did a rough count at the Blind Beggar pub, and got to 628 people - there could have been more stragglers behind the police vans, I don't know. Brilliant turnout though!
A group of folks (from Reading?) had built this brilliant vehicle made from about 5 and a half mountain bikes. It contained an awesome sound system - powered by batteries continually being recharged by a pedal powered generator. Anyone know more about this?
Another few folks had built sound systems onto bike trailers - a real attention grabber - not to mention all those air-powered horns. Watch out - Mine exploded and covered my hand in the liquid - resulting in cold burns and frostbite..!!!
When the mass got to Burdett Road, someone spoke through the sound system asking for a couple of minutes silence. 600 odd cyclists in quiet - bowed heads. A policemen standing next to me said it all, "Nice crowd this, come to show respect to someone they don't know."
Someone held their bike over their head, then someone else. Soon hundreds of bikes above heads, the silence then stopped with shouts, whistles, music - the mass moved on along a narrow street back onto Whitechapel Road back into town. I hope Emma's friends and family feel that others do care.
The Mass then meandered through Trafalgar Square, up Charing Cross road. Then an unusual route along Old Crompton Street through the thronging Soho nightlife. Sorry about the weaving through Soho's backstreets, my fault, a policeman had to give me directions and sent us down some pretty narrow streets.
Eventually we got to Whitehall. What lovely feeling. The huge width of Whitehall all to ourselves. A couple of bladers had joined us - those guys are mental - everyone was enjoying the car-free fume-free space.
I eventually had to give up at 9.45pm at Westminster Bridge. My trip computer said thus.
TRIP DISTANCE: 29 Km
AVG SPD: 9.30 km/h
MAX SPD: 51 km/h
Favourite Quotes and happenings!
"I love taxi drivers - I love you Mr Taxi driver" - the chap reckoned that taxi drivers are too used to being called w*nkers!
The whole mass stopped to let a guy dressed head to toe in Black PVC cross the road. Mr blackpvc said to a biker,"you guys are wierd."
Passerby on pavement; "I would have come today, but I had both my wheels nicked."
Someone was shouting at all sports cars, "big car small w*lly."
Someone in a little car started 'beeping' at a couple of cyclists. Within seconds was completely drowned out by a plethora of air-horns and whistles. The little car reversed back over the line!
'Are you counting?, there's over 100 cyclists in that off-license"
callum wilson
It was wonderful!
Virtually no strop or aggro. (Partly us being cooler, partly cos the infernal combustion drivers know about us now, partly cos stewards "emerged"). Lots of motorbike cops being sensible, the most incredible totally pedal powered sound system called 'Rinky-Dink' which had four stokers, plus one pedalling the dynamo, speakers on stalks masquerading as flowers.... loads of support from the Strand and the West End on the way back, and a very moving silence at the spot near Stepney where a cyclist was killed recently. A few skate boarders, roller bladers and _runners_ joined us, motorbikes beginning to emerge as a nuisance (noisy, smelly, we cant keep them out - perhaps we should try talking to them).
All in all, BRILLIANT. (and this is four days later).
Matt
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