Family and friends of woman killed in Glasgow cycle accident call for change
Twenty-two year-old Emma Newman Burke was making her way to university when she was struck by a car.
The family and friends of a woman killed in a Glasgow bike accident in January are demanding cyclists and cars are separated on the roads.
Twenty-two year-old Emma Burke Newman was on her way to the School of Art where she was a part-time architect student when she was hit by a vehicle.
Her mum Rose Marie Burke and dad John Newman are telling Greatest Hits Radio their lives are shattered without her, but they want to campaign for change.
Rose Marie said: "It hurts me very much that my daughter's death could have been prevented if there was appropriate infrastructure on the roads of Glasgow."
Rose added: "They say there is no greater difficulty in life than losing your child and we can say that is so true.
"We really want to stop other families from experiencing our grief and it is clear current behaviour is killing innocent people.
"Emma was such a bright light and a total joy."
The 22-year-old was passionate about making cities, particularly Glasgow, a better place for everyone to live.
Her friend and flatmate, Ruby Harrop, claims she is afraid to get back on her bike again.
"Cycling in Glasgow feels a lot more unsafe than in other cities.
"The irony is that Emma was an incredibly responsible cyclist.
"She did all the right things including wearing a helmet, not using earphones and she knew the highway code, but yet she still died.
"Far too many lanes for bike users stop at crucial intersections and I would like to see cycle traffic lights installed across Glasgow."
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “The death of Emma Burke Newman while cycling in Glasgow was a tragic incident and our thoughts remain with her family and friends who are grieving her loss.
“This incident remains under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment any further on the incident itself at this time.
“We do have extensive plans to improve road safety throughout the city for all road users.
“We are also fully committed to delivering a City Network for active travel that will provide almost 600 km of segregated infrastructure for safer walking, wheeling and cycling.
“Our work to create Liveable Neighbourhoods across Glasgow also aims to provide significant improvement to the active travel experience in all local communities.
“We are working closely with the Scottish Government to unlock the funding needed to ensure the delivery of our plans to transform the active travel experience in Glasgow.”