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I know it can be viewed as "putting the blame" on the most vunerable road user which is wrong
I think that that in itself is the problem, we live in a blame culture, where everything is someone else's fault.
The idea that a road users takes responsibility for their own safety seems a foreign concept to people.
Cyclists are one of the most vulnerable road users, and in a tussle with a multi-tonne vehicle, they probably wont win.
But apparently you can't say "keep away" from from lorrys etc. at junctions because people can do what they want, when they want, how they want.
There's no easy solution apart from having dedicated, physically separated spaces for cyclists and motorised transport, but no-one will pay for that.
Educating cyclists would be a good start, but you'll always get the ones that know better, and frankly, if you can't figure out for yourself that going up the inside of a lorry turning left is a dodgy idea, then all the education in the world isn't going make a blind bit of difference.
How can a vehicle be legal to drive if the driver can't see someone straddling a motorcyclist/cyclist next to him?
😀
First rule of Notbeingkilledonabike Club is
Don't untertake big vehicles
Second rule of Notbeingkilledonabike Club
is... you get the idea
I was going to post some stuff re. Additional mirrors creating more blind spots/the number of white vans needed to replace an artic etc, but its all been said 🙂
Someone mentioned lowering the driver position like a coach, but then you would lose sight of the trailer when vehicles pulled alongside, even road signs could block your view. higher is better for an overall view of the trailer.
One thing that would help is wide angle mirrors mounted on traffic lights, it allows drivers of large vehicles to see their inside but they are extremely rare in this country.
I can't work out why they put the cycle super highways on main roads. A3 etc. this seems to bring cyclists into direct conflict with the hgvs that have to use them. To me, it would have made more sense to use slightly smaller roads for the highways, helping to seperate cyclists from the really dangerous vehicles.
I can't work out why they put the cycle super highways on main roads. A3 etc. this seems to bring cyclists into direct conflict with the hgvs that have to use them. To me, it would have made more sense to use slightly smaller roads for the highways, helping to seperate cyclists from the really dangerous vehicles.
The problem is smaller roads have more junctions, most accidents happen at junctions, therefore putting cycle paths on smaller roads can actualy be worse. This is why I refuse to use shared pavements where they cross junctions/driveways, but will use them for example on the A66 in Middlesbrough which is a DC and has very few junctions (and is full of trucks heading to/from Teesport).
That and people will always take the easiest route, no point putting a cycle path on a road cyclists don't use, they'd just continue using the most direct (usualy biggest) road.
You could ban all vehicles over a certain weight from turning left in cities, but then it would block up cities as they would need to turn right across traffic,
or fit wide angle fish eye mirors to all traffic lights, im sure Boris is already running a trial of this idea.
All truck drivers have car licences and most will have ridden a bike at some point in their lives, very few car drivers and cyclists have hgv licences so that puts us hgv drivers in the position of seeing things from all angles, so why not level the playing field by making everybody who takes driving lessons spend an hour in a truck simulator as part of the requirement to passing the car test. It doesn't have to be part of the test itself but could be used as a compulsary educational session to allow other road users to get an idea of what you can and can't see or do in an hgv. One of the problems with the driving test is that you are only required to show that you can drive a car to a minimum standard, and not to show that you are aware of what other types are road users can/can't/see/ or do.
7 seconds into that video and I can clearly see inside the bottom left of the mirror there is something there that needs to be taken into account.
Not trying to blame anyone. I myself would never get into that kind of proximity with something that big in the first place. That's what inexperienced cyclists should be taught/need to learn.
Theres a simple action that we, as cyclists, can take to mitigate this risk and take control of the situation back into our own hands, by not putting ourselves in danger.
Think this is pretty much it.. Doing this will keep me alive if the artic has no mirrors, no cameras, no beeping warnings, no indicators, steamed up windows in the cab or ones covered up by the confederate flag, the driver rolling a ciggy and playing with a sat-nav....
Its what I can do to keep myself alive rather than hang out in the killing zone [i]hoping[/i] that the right thing will happen.
With the best will in the world (and the drivers comments on here back this up), you can be in the legally right position and dead. As I said earlier, on the road I don't usually mind what the HWC states, I'll make a judgement and take action on what I see going on and as we know, we can argue the toss afterwards...
Too many cyclists are lemmings.
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Sorry if this is off track, just to add a point... the video's that cyclists have posted rightly show the mix of all sorts of traffic and junctions often don't run to the HWC or even the Law... It made me smile with the video cyclist who was shouting all the car reg plates and almost gave himself a heart attack... Some of the incidents were incredibly predictable as to what was not going to happen around car/bike coming togethers...
Its the same basic thing with the trucks and stuff at lights... Have a think, pay attention, make decisions on what you see and stay healthy.
How can a vehicle be legal to drive if the driver can't see someone straddling a motorcyclist/cyclist next to him?
Realman 😀
Haha. Motorcycle* / Cycle!!!
Edit: now got the chortles at the thought of someone straddling a power ranger motorcyclist in the side view mirror.
uselesshippy - MemberDonk, unfortunately trucks are a necessary evil. Everything you buy, use or sell, at some point moves about on a truck.
no.. trucks are not evil. what is evil is the number of cars driving around. if there were fewer cars and more bikes we'd have more space for bikes. HGV drivers would probably agree....
Reading this thread, all I can see is that HGV's are a necessary evil and no amount of blind spot mirrors are going to fix the current problems, so it's the current design of the cab that doesn't seem to work?!
Legislation should be changed?
pg6:
[url= http://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/media/2012%2002%20smart%20trucks%20report%20briefing_final.pdf ]http://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/media/2012%2002%20smart%20trucks%20report%20briefing_final.pdf[/url]