Two thousand cyclists braved the cold on Friday night to stage a "die-in" outside the headquarters of Transport for London (TfL) in protest at a spate of cycling deaths.

At 5.30pm, watched by TfL staff from their office windows above, the cyclists lay down motionless on Blackfriars Road next to their bikes.

As hundreds of flickering bike lights lit the road like a Christmas tree, organisers read out the names of those killed on London's roads so far this year.

Stop the Killing of Cyclists said it had organised the protest in response to the recent deaths of six cyclists in just nine days.

The group is demanding a ban on vehicles whose drivers cannot see other road users, an increase in cycling expenditure and a network of segregated cycle lanes.

Many protesters were angry at London Mayor Boris Johnson's inadequate and insensitive response to the recent spike in fatalities.

"Cyclists are dying, but incredibly the mayor is blaming the victims rather than deal with the problem," said Brixton resident Lucy Hurn.

"We need investment in cycling infrastructure, better designed junctions and an end to prioritising motor vehicles over bicycles and pedestrians."

Andy Lawrence from Stepney said that he had "had enough" after having been knocked off his bike twice by cars.

He added: "What we need is better road planning, but all I see from Boris Johnson is a lot of show and not much action."