Former student dies in bike accident

By Rosie Williams and Fabiola Buchele

A former Kingston student has died in a collision with a lorry while cycling through central London last Friday.

Eleanor Carey, 22, from Guernsey, completed her art foundation year in Kingston in 2008.

Eleanor’s tutor at Kingston, Penny Glidewell, thought highly of the young artist. She said: “She was a very good student, very sociable and very well liked.

“Her confidence really grew as the year went on. She produced an inspiring final show and we all thought she had a bright future.”

The incident occurred at 10am on Abbey Street,  Southwark, on December 2. The location is known as an accident black-spot.

A 31-year-old man was arrested at the scene, but he has been released on bail until January 24 next year.

A spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service said: “A woman in her 20s was found dead at the scene and a man was treated for shock but it is not known if this was the lorry driver.”

A spokesman from the London Cycling Campaign, who tries to make the capital a better place for cyclists, said: “We are calling on the Mayor of London to declare a zero-tolerance policy towards road deaths. London needs a long-term strategy to install continental-standard bike lanes on busy roads to make them safe for cyclists.”

Mark Gettleson, the liberal democrat councillor for Grainsward, where the incident took place, has called on Transport For London to implement more safety measures on Abbey Street.

He said: “It is patently obvious that it is a dangerous junction.”

Eleanor had been volunteering at Bridge 2 Sri Lanka in Guernsey while on her holidays from university.

Sarah Griffiths, the founder of the charity, said: “She was such a kind and sweet girl, that you could not help but fall under her spell.”

The head of the Kingston art foundation course, Paul Stafford, said: “Eleanor stood out as someone who had real talent.”

He travelled to the island of Guernsey, over 200 miles away from London, to interview Eleanor when she applied.

Eleanor is the second Kingston University cyclist to die from a fatal road accident in the last two years.

Jayne Helliwell, 26, who graduated with an illustration and animation degree was crushed by a double-decker bus while cycling on Oxford Street on April 14, 2010.

The River reported that the bus driver involved in the incident had been acquitted.

A memorial will be held at the location of the incident on December 14.