On Wednesday, March 11, reports of a fatal accident in the local area caused an uproar on campus. In the full midst of Union Elections, candidates stopped campaigning for votes and started campaigning for what they called ‘something bigger.’ Brushes and cardboard in hand, they came together to improvise make-shift signs reading ‘SLOW DOWN SPEED KILLS’, ‘RESPECT THE LIMIT’ and ‘#SAVEME ROAD SAFETY’, which are now plastered along the University railings on Mile End Road.
We’re all familiar with Mile End Road; it stretches from Whitechapel to Bow and is home to our university’s main campus. Over 2,000 students live just off it in halls and many more cross it each day to go to lectures in the morning and back home in the evening. The speed limit is 30mph. Yet in October last year, third year Economics undergraduate Kieran Dhaliwal lost his life in a hit and run on Mile End Road as he was walking home from a house warming party.
This tragic incident was the driving cause behind the SaveME (Mile End) road safety campaign - a collaborative effort between the Union’s Welfare Zone, QMUL students, our affiliate organization Citizens UK and the local community of Tower Hamlets.
Students were ‘sick of seeing flowers on the road’ said the Union’s Vice President Welfare Mashalle Asim, who had been working with Citizens UK on a road safety audit since the beginning of her mandate last year. The campaign started out on campus with planning meetings and a listening action that collected numerous stories of incidents from students. ‘Almost everyone we talked to experienced something themselves or knew someone who has,’ according to Mashalle.
As Citizens UK were reaching out to other community organizations in tandem, it became clear that this was a much bigger problem that needed to be addressed collectively at a higher level.
The decision of those running in the Elections to put a halt to their campaigning and instead stand united to raise awareness through the signs now hanging in front of the University’s main building was inspiring. On Thursday the following day, over 400 students and local residents gathered in Library Square, waving placards with the same slogans and demanding safer roads from our elected officials. They carried flowers and held them high in the memory of all those who have perished on the 5km stretch we walk each day.
‘We are here because we want to make Mile End Road and Commercial Road safer for everyone,’ announced Mashalle, speaking in front of the crowd. Alex Greenwood, one of the QMUL students behind SaveME and Kieran Dhaliwal’s former flatmate, was quoted in an article saying ‘We are doing this because no more people should have to die because of reckless driving, as a community we have enough power to bring about whatever change we want.’
The demo was the culmination of months’ worth of work on the campaign. Representatives from TfL, Tower Hamlets Council and the Metropolitan Police attended and pledged their support. Mashalle was interviewed by BBC Radio 1 and the story made the front page of the East End Life newspaper.
Since Wednesday, SaveME has garnered increasing attention. Mayor of London Boris Johnson and TfL officials have been invited to attend a symbolic wal down Mile End Road and to commit to enhanced safety provisions in order to prevent terrible accidents from happening again. We are currently waiting fo a reply.
The campaign has become a priority for the Union under Mashalle’s remit. She said ‘I am determined to make Mile End a safer environment to live, work and study in. Together our voices are heard louder, and we have demonstrated our commitment to the SaveME campaign with over 400 people attending the demonstration which is one of many things we have done collectively as a community. It is my absolute priority to ensure that this campaign is successful a I am worried for the welfare and safety of students, staff and members of the local community in Tower Hamlets.’
Photo credits to Michael Shaw from The Vulture. More photos on our Facebook page.