jobseeker:
going by the way they ride down there, i’m surprised accidents aren’t more common.
There should be more blind spot awareness among cyclists and other road users as all too often a cyclist/motorcyclist has entered my blind spot oblivious to the danger they are in, road safety needs to be in the minds of all road users, not just drivers.
Stop using the blind spot as an excuse.The blind spot on a rigid is minimal and a cyclist should not be missed if mirrors are used correctly.
I’ve driven rigids with a blind spot you can fit a car in!
The near side blind spot is the same on a high cab rigid as an artic so unless you can see them entering it you won’t know they are there,
Correct observation helps but you cannot see everything all the time.
Seems that quite a lot of you who have commented on this story are simply just jumping on your soap boxes and passing unnecessary comments on a story you don’t know the facts about…
You sit in judgement blaming the driver, then the cyclist in totally uncalled for… I have opinion’s about the manor in which cyclists conduct themselves in general but if you want to ■■■■■ about it, start another tread then please.
Lets just remember people, one man has died through a tragic accident and our thoughts should be with his family at this time, we as members of a truck forum should not forget our road brother who carries this emotional burden around for the rest of his life…
At the moment he is certainly under the spot light of this stressful & emotional roller coaster by the appropriate authority’s under suspicion of causing a death by dangerous driving, this is until the police accident investigators prove who was to blame… this invariably will have a adverse effect on his future and life…
I agree with swampey.
I’m sure there’s an case for both parties to share some blame, driver should of been aware of him, cyclist should of been aware of the truck etc etc. that’s something the court will decide not us who know nothing of the incident apart from a newspaper article.
At the end of the day someone has died, as if that weren’t tragic enough, I’ve seen the effect an accident like this can have on the driver who has to live with it,and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
albion1971:
Simply the driver should have seen him.It was a rigid vehicle and with proper mirror checks and observation there should not have been a problem.The problem a lot of the time nobody will stop or slow down and that applies to both parties.RUSH RUSH RUSH with bad attitude and no consideration for anyone.
As I have said before if you are in London or any other city try standing on a corner and watch how poor some drivers are with their observation and also the aggression is appalling at times again from both parties.
Take your sanctimonious, superiority complex-laden and know-it-all attitude to everything truck and driver related and stick it up your arse.
I put my house on you either being or having been one of these drivers that preaches to everyone else in an RDC waiting room completely oblivious to the fact that they are all doing their best to quietly slide along the seat away from you.
…Actually, I more often find myself avoiding those who can’t take criticism where it’s due.
I agree with albion on this one. Rushing and corner cutting are the “driver’s end” of any fault in such fatal accidents. “no care and attention to their own vulnerablility” remains the bane of the cyclist. My girl isn’t let anywhere near a pushbike by me. I understand the risks, and choose therefore not to expose my family to them. As for myself, I gave up bikes long ago - my own way of dealing with the risks. It’s a lifestyle choice, nothing to do with being sanctimonious.
RDC waiting room wise, I avoid them as much as I can. I quickly tire of all the bull one hears in such places, and prefer to stay in my cab, should that option be available. If it’s not, then the job itself in that particular establishment will be avoided by me. Again, another lifestyle choice on my part.
It is all about attitude when it comes to lorries and cyclists and that is the main reason these horrible accidents happen.
Lorry drivers make mistakes as do cyclists but if there was less bad attitude between them most of these accidents would not happen.
Why all the hatred? Why is it always the other persons fault?
All these that think lorry drivers are perfect with their mirrors should try standing on a corner as I said and watch.I can assure you some do not even look before moving off never mind as they negotiate the bend.
Yes we know cyclists should have more sense than to ride up the inside but we as so called professional drivers should take more time and care as we all seem to know how often this happens.
Drivers need to stop making excuses for their bad driving and face the reality of the situation.Same goes for cyclists but unfortunately they do not have to pass any test so need to be treated as dumb.
We have just had our small fleet of wagons upgraded with the nearside sensor and camera. When indicating left the nearside camera comes on and an alarm goes off if one of the 3 sensors is activated by a cyclist coming on the inside. There is also an audible alarm “WARNING TRUCK TURNING LEFT” that goes off when indicating left.
All this cost £2000 per vehicle and let me tell you …WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!!
I was in London today and TWICE I had cyclists still coming on the inside whilst indicating and turning left with the audible warning going!! Gave me a fright that these stupid morons are still cycling as if they want to die!
msgyorkie:
We have just had our small fleet of wagons upgraded with the nearside sensor and camera. When indicating left the nearside camera comes on and an alarm goes off if one of the 3 sensors is activated by a cyclist coming on the inside. There is also an audible alarm “WARNING TRUCK TURNING LEFT” that goes off when indicating left.
All this cost £2000 per vehicle and let me tell you …WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!!
I was in London today and TWICE I had cyclists still coming on the inside whilst indicating and turning left with the audible warning going!! Gave me a fright that these stupid morons are still cycling as if they want to die!
An end to these silly notices of ‘Caution passing vehicle on this side’ and the like. Time for notices like ‘Riding down this side is a popular way to die’ of similar and they may actually think twice…
I came through there earlier was kaos but no real surprise when I saw what had happened I mean how many cyclists have been killed now I see there suicidal antics everyday they take far too many risks I get really ■■■■■■ off with people’s comments like oh it’s another tipper bla bla I’d like to come see them try and drive around london day in day out its a lot harder and takes more concentration than going up and down the motorway all day in a artic which Ive also done. On tippers we’ve got underun bars side scan sensors signs back front and sides and side view cameras and had to have cycle training but these accidents are still happening what does that tell you
may sound harsh but i am past caring about stories like that,cyclists have been warned time and again about going on the inside and they will never learn,thats of course if he did come through on the inside cos the lorry took quite a wide turn,he may have come off the pavement and went under,who knows
Chewyboy:
I get really ■■■■■■ off with people’s comments like oh it’s another tipper bla bla I’d like to come see them try and drive around london day in day out its a lot harder and takes more concentration. these accidents are still happening what does that tell you
Then maybe they should try concentrating more, rather than driving as if they are on a mission.
msgyorkie:
We have just had our small fleet of wagons upgraded with the nearside sensor and camera. When indicating left the nearside camera comes on and an alarm goes off if one of the 3 sensors is activated by a cyclist coming on the inside. There is also an audible alarm “WARNING TRUCK TURNING LEFT” that goes off when indicating left.
All this cost £2000 per vehicle and let me tell you …WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!!
I was in London today and TWICE I had cyclists still coming on the inside whilst indicating and turning left with the audible warning going!! Gave me a fright that these stupid morons are still cycling as if they want to die!
should have a [zb] blower fitted so that they get showered if they still creep up on the inside
albion1971:
It is all about attitude when it comes to lorries and cyclists and that is the main reason these horrible accidents happen.
Lorry drivers make mistakes as do cyclists but if there was less bad attitude between them most of these accidents would not happen.
Why all the hatred? Why is it always the other persons fault?
All these that think lorry drivers are perfect with their mirrors should try standing on a corner as I said and watch.I can assure you some do not even look before moving off never mind as they negotiate the bend.
Yes we know cyclists should have more sense than to ride up the inside but we as so called professional drivers should take more time and care as we all seem to know how often this happens.
Drivers need to stop making excuses for their bad driving and face the reality of the situation.Same goes for cyclists but unfortunately they do not have to pass any test so need to be treated as dumb.
I think there’s blame on all sides, he may be a bad driver, the cyclist may be a nut job, the company may not of provided sensors, signs, cameras or a fresnel lens to allow the driver to see into his blind spot (going by the position of the bike i’m certain that’s where he was).
Unfortunately one person is dead, his family has lost a loved one and the driver faces living with guilt and the what ifs for the rest of his life, he may never drive again.
A bit of education for cyclists and drivers may of prevented this tragedy, just treating cyclists as dumb doesn’t work all the deaths recently in london alone will tell you that.
It’s just awful that this happened. Both people are involved and jointly the small decisions you make lead to events conspiring to cause the accident. I’ve a friend who’s a keen cyclist. He’s quite a militant sort of cyclist. I think when some cyclists get a bee in their bonnet they lose the ‘drive/ride defensively’ attitude. I would say all the recent publicity has made it worse as some - not all of course- cyclists have a no nonsense, very forthright approach to other traffic which can be quite dangerous. By not being so conservative in their riding they can put themselves in harms way by sticking to their dogged determination that they are in the right in a particular scenario.
Equally I think some full time road users have tired of what they see as cocky cyclists. It’s high time some serious steps were taken to bring the two road users together. It could be argued given how dangerous the streets of London are for cyclists that they’re only allowed on main roads if they hold a certificate of competence. Not the old childish tick box cycling proficiency, but a proper practical course and test that includes exposure to what it’s like from an HGV/ bus perspective. You have to pass one to drive a truck. Why don’t you for cycling on the main streets of london? In a vehicle you’re supposed to keep a safe distance, cyclists should allow the same distance however bizarre that looks. Equally blinking cars and lorries should treat a thin cycle as if it were an artic and stay well behind and not shadow it. I see the Police are experimenting with a small program to allow cyclists the opportunity to see it from the lorry perspective. We need the cycling and truck press, the RHA and whatever cyclists have to come together to publicly show they’re working together to try and stop this atogonistic attitude to each other.
Yawn you get bad driving in all different industries not just tippers get a life
You do yes you get the odd driver in any company, But they top the list.Their attitude in the city stinks.
It was the same on every tipper company in the east end that i worked for chase, chase alday long.
The junction where it happened is a accident black for cyclist.
ABOUT 7 HOURS AGO CYCLIST KILLED IN COLLISION AT LUDGATE CIRCUS JUNCTION
Cyclist death junction ‘dropped from safety review list’
The central London junction where a cyclist was killed this morning was dropped from a list of areas due to be overhauled as part of safety improvements, a London Assembly member has claimed.
Ludgate Circus was on Transport For London’s original list of 100 junctions deemed to have safety concerns, however it was later removed from the list when it was revised down to 33.
London Assembly member Darren Johnson accused TFL of failing to act despite a spate of deaths and injuries in recent years:
This absolutely tragic news is made all the more poignant by the fact that TfL recently decided to cancel the major safety overhaul it had deemed necessary at this blackspot.
Six cyclists were killed or seriously injured here in the space of five years yet despite this dreadful toll TfL aren’t going to get this junction sorted out.
We are seeing this pattern of inaction all across the road network in London and it is unacceptable.
