Work has been ordered to halt at a major building site in central London after a construction lorry was involved in a fatal crash with a cyclist, the Standard can reveal.
Camden Council told Derwent London to suspend activities at the £107m office block it is building in Tottenham Court Road while police investigate the death of a young rider killed in the HGV crash on Wednesday morning.
The man, who was said by the Met to be in his 20s but whose name has not been released, was believed to have been riding a Lime rental e-bike at the time he collided with a 32-tonne tipper truck that had exited Derwent’s Network Building site nearby.
The lorry driver had turned left from Howland Street into the northern end of Charlotte Street – a route not permitted in the “construction management plan” drawn up by the developer and the council as a condition of Derwent’s planning consent.
The approved route would have taken the driver straight across Howland Street into New Cavendish Street and eventually onto Marylebone Road.
A Camden Council spokesman told the Standard on Thursday night: “The site has been instructed to stop all works on site.”
A Derwent London spokesperson said: “We were deeply saddened to learn of the fatal road traffic accident in Fitzrovia on Wednesday. Our condolences and sympathies go to the individual’s family and friends.
“A full investigation is underway and we are liaising with all parties, including Camden Council.”
The collision happened at around 7.45am on Wednesday. It was the second cyclist fatality in London this year, following the death of a cyclist who collided with a lamp-post in Lewisham in January. Construction logistics firm Keltbray confirmed the vehicle belonged to one of its subcontractors.
Police investigators have appealed for witnesses and motorists with dashcam video evidence to come forward.
It is thought that the cyclist was riding west along Howland Street – where there is a segregated cycle lane, though there is no separation at the junction with Charlotte Street.
However, there is a possibility that he was cycling north on Charlotte Street and was hit head-on by the turning vehicle.
A number of cyclists have raised concerns about construction traffic in the area. Howland Street is part of a Transport for London-recommended east-west cycle route, Cycleway 27, through the back streets of central London. Work at the Network building is due to continue until 2025.
Keltbray said in a statement: “A road traffic accident occurred on the public highway near Keltbray’s Network Building project site in central London, involving one of its subcontractors’ lorries and a cyclist, in which the cyclist tragically sustained fatal injuries.
“The thoughts of the Keltbray leadership team and the entire workforce at Keltbray’s built environment division are with the family and friends of all those involved at this very difficult time.
“Keltbray is supporting the police, emergency services and our subcontractor in their investigations as required. While investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Seven people were killed cycling in London in 2022, down from 10 in 2021. But the total number of road deaths in the capital increased by more than a third to 101.
Lime has been approached for comment.
