HUNDREDS of people gathered at The Plain roundabout yesterday to remember mum, wife and scientist Dr Ling Felce, exactly one week on since she was killed.
On March 1, Oxford plunged into gridlock after the horror crash closed the roundabout which leads to the city’s main roads.
The following day, police confirmed that the 35-year-old had died at the scene and the driver of the tipper lorry had been arrested.
By Thursday, Robert Whiting, 39, had appeared before Oxford Magistrates’ Court facing charges of causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drugs, causing death while driving unlicensed and causing death while driving without insurance.
Now, a week on from her death cyclists in Oxford visited the scene where she died to say goodbye to one of their own.
Around 450 people attended the vigil in the afternoon with crowds spilling onto St Clement’s and Cowley Road.
Though it was packed, the area fell silent at 2.30pm. This time last week, emergency services were flooding the area and desperately trying to save Dr Felce.
Pictures show her heartbroken family and friends hugging and crying.
Councillors who had earlier called for urgent changes to be made to Oxford’s ‘most dangerous’ roundabout also attended with bike safety campaigners ending the vigil ringing their bells in her memory.
A friend and colleague of Dr Felce attended the vigil to pay her respects. She said: "We miss her. It is just shocking I can't believe it. Things won't be the same."
Cyclist Clive Elsmore came from Abingdon to pay tribute to Dr Felce.
The 67-year-old described her death as an “unnecessary tragedy”.
He said: “I feel there is so much suffering going on in the world and this is just one more unnecessary tragedy. It is something that could be easily fixed and it is so unnecessary.”
Jonny Ives, a trustee of the cycling charity Cyclox, said the prospect of his 12-year-old daughter riding a bike on her own “terrifies” him. Cyclox has called for “vison zero”, a complete intolerance of any road user deaths.
City Councillor Katherine Miles has three children and regularly cycles across Oxford.
She said: “I am extremely worried; I fear for their lives. Cycling is necessary for efficiency, cost and for the climate.”
She added: “It is International Women’s Day and women are disproportionately killed on our roads. These are people with caring responsibilities taking their children to and from school and nursery.”
Craig Simmons, former Oxford city councillor and Mayor wants to see less lorries in the city.
He said: “We need restrictions on heavy goods vehicles in the area. Big lorries should be stopped at the park and ride and loads transferred onto smaller electric vehicles to take it into the city centre.”
He added: “It is an absolute tragedy there has been four cyclists killed because of turning lorries.”
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