Make them use pavements 
newmercman:
Itās a fact that lorries have blind spots, the driver also has to look down the other side of their vehicle through the mirrors and look forwards through the windscreen too.So at times a small object (especially in a mirror) like a cyclist will enter the blindspot unseen, sometimes with tragic results.
The rules of the road do not allow undertaking, yet cyclists are free to belt along up the inside of vehicles, this breaks those rules, but far worse, it allows the cyclist to put themselves into a position of extreme danger.
Any collision between a fragile cyclist and a solid vehicle is going to have a bad ending.
Surely common sense would tell the cyclist to be very careful around any vehicle at a junction, especially vehicles with limited vision? Most of these collisions are the result of a lorry turning left on a cyclist roaring up the inside as far as I can work out.
Pedestrians manage to avoid it, motorcycle riders manage to avoid it and 99.9% of car drivers manage to avoid it, yet cyclists donāt seem to be so fortunate.
Could this be because they put themselves in a position of danger by the way they tear arse around, stopping for nobody, with the goal of faster journey times through the traffic? Any other vehicle moving a lot faster than the rest of the traffic is going to have a big crash at some point.
Maybe it is time the self propelled mob worked this out for themselves
Thereās a lot of good points there, but thereās also the lack of education issue and not something I think we should have a blasĆĀ© attitude about, we are talking about loss of human life. Nether do I believe we should adopt a Pontius Pilate attitude - basically blaming the cyclists and washing our hands of all responsibility.
Simply put - and not withstanding the un-realistic point I am about to makeā¦ if you remove all hgvās from town centres, then there will be no cyclists killed by hgvās in town centres. So thereās no room at all for taking the attitude - itās their own fault for getting killed. Professional hgv drivers must take on board as much responsibility as we can to help save lives.
None of the truck drivers in the world were born with knowledge of blind spots, so thereās no room for a high horse attitude of - itās there own fault for tear arseing around. Because no itās not, itās a situation that needs sorting urgently with as much input as possible, from all concerned - to improve if not resolve a life threatening problem.
In the immediate situation - education has to be the starting point. And I stick with my personal experience of how the cycle lanes work in Holland, we should mirror that and put issues like this behind us once and for all.
I have cycled 15 miles to-day on rural roads.There was a column in the Sunday Times a year ago about Another cyclist murdered by a lorry.A great many cyclists ride like Kamikazi.We all know what happened to them.
chester:
Make them use pavements
An obvious but well made point chester!
I ride a motorbike, some times drive a car and every working I drive a truck. During all of these activities I have to deal with cyclists and what comes across is the Amazing self centered arrogance of most cyclist who think every thing should give way to them and make little or no effort to help other road users. I do my best to give them as much room as I can, mostly they just take no notice and just carry on as if they have a God given right to do exactly as they please.
I have for my troubles ( and I do take care) is foul language, abusive and all sorts of hand signals. This was when I was out with the family in the Yorkshire Dales on a narrow country road where every one of them refused to make any effort to let me pass. Some of them were riding three abreast.
The fault on average is with the cyclist. This is just one of many instances of the years.
Boomerang Dave:
chester:
Make them use pavements
An obvious but well made point chester!
No surprise you seem to have conveniently ignored examples like number 5 here amongst others such as the example which I posted in which those with your logic wanted me to use a not very wide dual carriageway to cycle to school on instead of using a perfectly suitable pavement but theyāve now painted a narrow cycle lane on the same road.However no surprise there considering that the raving cycling agenda has never been based on intelligence.
knight:
I ride a motorbike, some times drive a car and every working I drive a truck. During all of these activities I have to deal with cyclists and what comes across is the Amazing self centered arrogance of most cyclist who think every thing should give way to them and make little or no effort to help other road users. I do my best to give them as much room as I can, mostly they just take no notice and just carry on as if they have a God given right to do exactly as they please.
I have for my troubles ( and I do take care) is foul language, abusive and all sorts of hand signals. This was when I was out with the family in the Yorkshire Dales on a narrow country road where every one of them refused to make any effort to let me pass. Some of them were riding three abreast.
The fault on average is with the cyclist. This is just one of many instances of the years.
The fact that they refuse to use cycleways even when they are provided shows that they are a bunch of suicidal arrogant idiots and the government seems to be no different at least in regards to itās level of stupidity by not forcing them to use cycleways and pavements wherever possible with decent penalties if they choose to ignore the law in all respects.
For every YouTube clip of a irresponsible cyclist, they will be a clip of a irresponsible truck driver doing somthing equally idiotic.
And if you search even more on YouTube you can find idiotic cats doing funny things as well.
I see truck drivers doing stupid things and I see cyclists doing stupid things every single day.
chester:
For every YouTube clip of a irresponsible cyclist, they will be a clip of a irresponsible truck driver doing somthing equally idiotic.And if you search even more on YouTube you can find idiotic cats doing funny things as well.
I see truck drivers doing stupid things and I see cyclists doing stupid things every single day.
That clip was actually posted to show the stupidity of the present situation supported by both government and cyclists of cyclists using the road unsafely when thereās a perfectly good pavement alternative.That type of stupidity has nothing to do with truck drivers,bus drivers,car drivers or stupid cats who at least have the excuse that nature didnāt design cats to be as ( supposedly ) intelligent as humans.
Carryfast:
No surprise you seem to have conveniently ignored examples like number 5 here amongst others such as the example which I posted in which those with your logic wanted me to use a not very wide dual carriageway to cycle to school on instead of using a perfectly suitable pavement but theyāve now painted a narrow cycle lane on the same road.However no surprise there considering that the raving cycling agenda has never been based on intelligence.
I havenāt a clue what you are rattling on about brother, but for what itās worth, I just watched that video and itās very informative. It could have done with some examples of how to do it - to go with the examples of how not to.
But Iāll stick with the fact that NONE of these incidents would happen with a properly designed cycle lane system - similar to those in Holland.
Also, whilst all of the cyclists were to blame for their own actions, some of those bus drivers were just as bad - if not worseā¦ if a professional bus driver moves to the left on a road that they know well and know it is a regular route for undertaking cyclists (especially where there is a marked cycle lane) - and in doing so chop up a cyclist because they didnāt bother to look in the mirror, I personally would remove the PSV and slap the driver around the face with a large piece of cod!
Now please take a few minutes to watch this:
The story of Dutch Cycle lanes:
Edited to add: Check this out too:
Boomerang Dave, I agree, we do have a responsibility to other road users, even the stupid ones that are intent on causing themselves a problem.
Weāve all witnessed the mad cyclists and tend to judge them all the same way, just as other motorists view lorry drivers as a nuisance put on earth just to get in their way and murder the odd prostitute in our spare time.
Not all cyclists have a death wish, but those that do donāt have much problem fulfilling that wish.
What it needs is education, especially to the cycling fraternity and more importantly, policing.
A few bobbies with video cams recording bad riding and stopping the person concerned, charging them with an offence and the courts imposing a fine may make things a little better.
As it stands a cyclist can do whatever they want with no fear of punishment, that needs to change. All cyclists should be made to carry ID, so the Police can confirm identity or we need a national registration system for bikes, as we have for every other mode of transport.
They will moan it breaches their Human Rights, but hey ho. Every other road user has to prove their identity via the same methods, why should a cyclist be any different?
First of all some interesting posts and some good points.Having driven trucks in London for 12 years I know exactly what a truck driver has to put up with when it comes to cyclists.
I just feel some drivers do not pay enough attention to their mirrors.When I have a chance which is not very often I will stand at a busy junction and watch drivers and cyclists.Both are as bad as each other.Those on here that keep blaming the cyclists everytime should try it sometime.Some lorry drivers hardly look in their mirrors at all when sitting at lights or before moving off.It is blatantly obvious they are not paying attention and that really annoys me.Hopefully the ones I see are in the minority.
carryfast I see you are having trouble unerstanding plain english again.Your reply to my post has nothing to do with what I said.
Also when a driver is trained I would believe most trainers will explain how important mirror checks are.It is then up to the driver if he continues as he has been taught.Having assessed many experienced drivers it is obvious that some become very weak when it comes to mirror checks.Please try to talk some sense.
On the spot fine of Ā£50 for undertaking a HGV vehicle at a junction should do it. If the cyclist canāt pay their bike is confiscated until they can.
For balance an on the spot fine for a HGV driver seen to behave recklesley around cyclists.
Controversial but those who canāt behave in a safe manner have to have safety forced upon them.
Hard to Police-yes, but no harder than lane hogging on a Māway, which no doubt came into law as some MP was held up by a lane hogger.
Given enough press coverage theres a chance it may save a life or two.
Is it maybe time for some graphic safety videos to be shown on telly like those they show for seatbelt and drink drive campaigns, the sort that get Disgusted from Tunbridge Wells writing to the Daily Wail about, the true brutal reality of what happens when a lorry crushes a person.
Pretty obvious that there is little sympathy with the plight of the cyclist here, and we can only assume that this place is representative of the typical lorry driver out there.
We can safely assume that the typical cycling forum has equally blinkered thoughts being posted at this very moment, so not much if any chance of the two groups coming to any sort of sensible voluntary understanding or a workable sensible solution to the problem.
Maybe shocking images and reports of the real aftermath of these incidentsā¦if permission could be obtained from the deceasedās relativesā¦might actually make some cyclists use their brains, and some lorry drivers that donāt currently use theirs too.
Juddian:
Pretty obvious that there is little sympathy with the plight of the cyclist here, and we can only assume that this place is representative of the typical lorry driver out there.
We can safely assume that the typical cycling forum has equally blinkered thoughts being posted at this very moment,
Surprisingly not! well at least on the cycling forums I frequent. Sadly the blinkered view is always on trucker forums.
But āALLā cyclists are the same arenāt they?
chester:
Juddian:
Pretty obvious that there is little sympathy with the plight of the cyclist here, and we can only assume that this place is representative of the typical lorry driver out there.
We can safely assume that the typical cycling forum has equally blinkered thoughts being posted at this very moment,Surprisingly not! well at least on the cycling forums I frequent. Sadly the blinkered view is always on trucker forums.
But āALLā cyclists are the same arenāt they?
chester,
Tis a simple fact of life that cyclists and their grieving relatives are the main victims in this and although education may help some of them (cyclists), they are not the only road users who could learn a thing or two.
There are clearly plenty of truck drivers who care, not all of them are here. I think you can rest assured than most truck drivers do care. But we wonāt all agree on the solutions.
chester:
Juddian:
Pretty obvious that there is little sympathy with the plight of the cyclist here, and we can only assume that this place is representative of the typical lorry driver out there.
We can safely assume that the typical cycling forum has equally blinkered thoughts being posted at this very moment,Surprisingly not! well at least on the cycling forums I frequent. Sadly the blinkered view is always on trucker forums.
But āALLā cyclists are the same arenāt they?
Just as āallā lorry drivers are the āsameā
chester:
Juddian:
Pretty obvious that there is little sympathy with the plight of the cyclist here, and we can only assume that this place is representative of the typical lorry driver out there.
We can safely assume that the typical cycling forum has equally blinkered thoughts being posted at this very moment,Surprisingly not! well at least on the cycling forums I frequent. Sadly the blinkered view is always on trucker forums.
But āALLā cyclists are the same arenāt they?
I agree, admittedly I only picked one cycling forum at random on google but they where discussing the dangers of positioning themselves by a HGV at a junction and most where trying to point out the obvious hazards, in fact one thread went back to 2009.
We must take on board that there are a few whose arrogance is based on the size of the vehicle and will always have contempt for cyclists and there are cyclists who will never change their ways.
But if we can all agree to work together on this theres just a chance the roads can become a slightly safer place.
Dipper_Dave:
But if we can all agree to work together on this theres just a chance the roads can become a slightly safer place.
Thatās the way forward!
Whereas this:
newmercman:
Just as āallā lorry drivers are the āsameā
Is pointless flaming. And if you are a FORUM moderatorā¦ GO HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF!
Boomerang Dave:
Carryfast:
No surprise you seem to have conveniently ignored examples like number 5 here amongst others such as the example which I posted in which those with your logic wanted me to use a not very wide dual carriageway to cycle to school on instead of using a perfectly suitable pavement but theyāve now painted a narrow cycle lane on the same road.However no surprise there considering that the raving cycling agenda has never been based on intelligence.I havenāt a clue what you are rattling on about brother, but for what itās worth, I just watched that video and itās very informative. It could have done with some examples of how to do it - to go with the examples of how not to.
But Iāll stick with the fact that NONE of these incidents would happen with a properly designed cycle lane system - similar to those in Holland.
Also, whilst all of the cyclists were to blame for their own actions, some of those bus drivers were just as bad - if not worseā¦ if a professional bus driver moves to the left on a road that they know well and know it is a regular route for undertaking cyclists (especially where there is a marked cycle lane) - and in doing so chop up a cyclist because they didnāt bother to look in the mirror, I personally would remove the PSV and slap the driver around the face with a large piece of cod!
Now please take a few minutes to watch this:
The story of Dutch Cycle lanes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7oEdited to add: Check this out too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21hQqb9bg0
Thereās no inconsistency between calling for cyclists to be removed from the roads and put on the pavements than the idea of seperate cycleways of whatever design wherever in the world.Youāre obviously missing that point that most British cyclists choose not to use seperate cycleways and shared pedestrian/cycleways even when they are provided.Usually because they want to treat every cycle journey as a tour de france time trial event which means that cyclists donāt want the responsibility of having to treat pedestrians,who cyclists might have to share cycle way space with,in the same way as such stupid selfish cyclists expect to be treated by drivers using the roads where cyclists donāt belong.