I’ve spoken to some other London-going drivers about this, and there seems to be a similarity in the modus operandi here.
All take place on the approach to the same junction depicted in the picture…
C+E truck is on the right side, swinging out to take the sharp left turn toward loampit vale.
Cyclist A following in the right hand lane, moves to the right rather than the left, even though there’s not a lot of space.
ANother cyclist B,(doesn’t seem to be connected with the first in any way.) comes up the left side and moves into the daft position where the trucker has to stop because he’s going to drag the combination across the top of cyclist B otherwise. Cyclist B moves away, around the corner, no exchange taking place. Trucker might be cussing at having to check-up halfway around the bend.
Cyclist A, out of sight, out of mind at this point, is now pulling the red button (always seems to be on that side with the trailers in question so far) and on this latest occasion, shuffles up the side, and leans under the front of the trailer tugging at the handle as well. It won’t budge, because of the dog clip, which the idiot doesn’t seem to know how to negotiate before the lights go green/driver pulls away only to stall, because the brakes are on.
Cyclist then rides out the front, with some kind of slanging match between them and the driver (still in cab), before the cyclist quickly rides away, leaving the trucker to exit the cab, and push the red button back in before proceeding - on this occasion.
In my view, it could have been a lot bloody worse, with oddly enough, the most likely person to be crushed by any falling-off trailer the damned cyclist A who hasn’t got a lot of room to move until they get to the front of the cab!
Would YOU pull the pin knowing that the next jerk forward by the cab is likely to have the trailer topple on YOUR right hand side position, because the truck is halfway around a left hand corner FFS?
I’ve heard of “death by cop” but “death by trailer”? Surely it’s some kind of mis-adventure involving complete idiots, with only a partial understanding of the mechanics of trucks and trailers?
The cyclist A btw looked like to be of student age and of non-Caucasian extraction, but I don’t read too much into that necessarily. The trucker on exiting, looked like any of us - middle aged with a beer belly, but not of foreign extraction judging by the head shaking and “FFS” movements of his lips as he stabs the button back in, jumps back in the cab, and continues, just another day for a minority in the big city alas.
There’s nothing to report to any plod, because (a) the trucker isn’t making any kind of hanging around to make a complaint, (b) I assume there’s no camera on this junction, which is why it’s popular perhaps for this “activity”. and (c) I’ve got no cycle registration to give any plod who happens to ask me what I saw sitting 3 cars back, too far to hear any verbal exchange…
Cyclists should perhaps wear a high vis with a registration mark on it, like London marathon runners perhaps?
Would solve a lot of this type of problem. The great unsaid kind of road rage - from untraceable cyclists.