A notorious accident hotspot in London could be free of cars, lorries and taxis at certain times of the day in an 18-month trial aimed at improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

The proposed trial, which will come into effect in Spring 2017, will be run by The City of London Corporation and will see all motor vehicles, except buses, banned from driving on Bank junction in the heart of the City between 7am and 7pm. Drivers who fail to abide by the ban may be liable for fines up to £130.

The scheme comes on the back of a petition to ban lorries during peak times by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), following the death of cyclist Ying Tao in a collision with a tipper truck on the junction in June 2015.

If the scheme is successful, it is hoped that the curfew will become a permanent fixture and the six-way junction will be redesigned in the future to make it safer for road users at all times.

In 2014, more than 3,500 cyclists were killed or seriously injured across the UK, while Transport for London (TfL) reported that nine cyclists and 66 pedestrians were killed on London roads during 2015. Of the nine cyclist deaths, seven involved heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

David Robinson, specialist road traffic collision and serious injury solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “The number of cyclists needlessly injured and killed on our roads is staggering, and this issue is all the more prevalent across the UK’s capital, especially with rising traffic levels increasingly putting vulnerable road users at risk.

“Bank junction has long been a problem area in London so I’m glad that it’s being addressed with daytime bans, but it’s only solving one part of the overall problem. While it’s true that everyone has their part to play in reducing these figures – from cyclists being more aware of the Highway Code to companies who use HGVs investing in newer models with increased driver visibility – it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the number of cyclist deaths decreases.

“More funding into improved infrastructure such as cycling lanes and better education for the public is greatly needed. Only then will we see tragic stories like that of Ying Tao become a thing of the past.”