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Parents of tragic cyclist killed in horror lorry crash vow to make roads safer


Rose Marie Burke and John Newman, whose 22-year-old daughter Emma died in Glasgow in January, have vowed to campaign in her honour.

The parents of tragic cyclist Emma Burke Newman have vowed to campaign in her honour to make roads safer for everyone.


Emma, 22, from Moulineaux, Paris, was killed after a crash involving a lorry at the King George V Bridge on Broomielaw, Glasgow on January 27.


Rose Marie Burke and John Newman said their daughter would still be alive if there had been better road infrastructure to separate cyclists from HGVs and buses.


And the heartbroken parents revealed French-American national Emma - who had only been in Scotland for three months - had “already fallen in love” with the country.


The 22-year-old had recently started working as a designer at Glasgow architecture firm New Practice which is focused on improving community and urban spaces.


In a new blog, Rose Marie and John warned Scotland’s cycling infrastructure was “a decade behind or more” compared to other countries.


And they urged Scots to back the Pedal on Parliament event this weekend - an annual cycle to Holyrood campaigning for safer roads.


They wrote: “The symbolism is terribly searing. A young woman cyclist, 22 years old, on the cusp of adulthood, has carved out her path in life – devoted to making cities safer and more beautiful for all – but is crushed at the south entrance to the city centre of Glasgow.


“Our daughter, Emma Burke Newman, was a strong and experienced cyclist. She cycled everywhere in the much bigger cities of Paris, London, and Berlin.


“But, only three months into living in Scotland, she was roadkill at that deadly junction, as if the world were saying, no, you cannot. Not now.


“Instead, we must. We, her parents, feel compelled to push Scotland ahead, to make roads safer for everyone. It seems that society has accepted death and serious injury as a cost of getting from point A to B? We don’t accept that.


“Had Emma lived, she would have made safer travel her life’s work. Since she has not, we are taking on the mantle. It will help us with our grief, to ensure that her death was not in vain.”


Emma’s parents added: “Although we are still in mourning, we have decided to support Pedal on Parliament as our first political action. We are demanding ‘No Backpedalling.’


“Scotland has great plans and the budget for active travel. Now it must deliver, without stalling.

“Given that the country is a decade or more behind, there is no time to lose – only more lives to be lost.”


The pair said there needed to be better “identification and remediation of dangerous hotspots” and tougher enforcement of existing rules and regulations - such as by using dash-cam video to catch lawbreakers.


They also urged stronger safety standards for lorries and HGVS as well as an overall “shift in attitudes” to make active travel safer.


Rose-Marie and John added: “While the investigation into our daughter’s crash on January 27 is still ongoing, we can say that, if only the proper infrastructure had existed to separate cycles from HGVs and buses, our daughter would be alive today.”


Chris Russell, one of the organisers of Pedal on Parliament which takes place on Saturday, said: “We are honoured to have the support of Emma Burke Newman's parents.


“Emma's tragic death is a stark reminder of why we campaign. The Scottish Government and local councils must double-down on investment to make Scotland a cycle-friendly country where people of all ages and abilities can get around safely by bike.”

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