FarnboroughBoy11:
Muckaway:
Some good news for Oxford City motorists; The firm that operates the Boris Bikes have gone bust according to the Oxford Mail.Not surprised, all their customers keep getting flattened.
Actually, as far as I’m aware, I believe theres only been one Boris bike fatality. which is pretty incredible considering how they are ridden
switchlogic:
FarnboroughBoy11:
Muckaway:
Some good news for Oxford City motorists; The firm that operates the Boris Bikes have gone bust according to the Oxford Mail.Not surprised, all their customers keep getting flattened.
Actually, as far as I’m aware, I believe theres only been one Boris bike fatality. which is pretty incredible considering how they are ridden
Really, yes you would think there would be more. You could argue that the cyclists that have their own bikes and that are “into” riding have more of a clue than someone who just jumps on a hired bike willy nilly but maybe it’s the more cautious hired bike rider that is more safer than a riding enthusiast who rides “progressively”.
I’ve just been reading that the Met police have been stopping cyclists around London today to advise them on safety issues. Mainly concentrating on those not wearing helmets or hi vis clothing, neither against the law but essential these days I would have thought. It’s also reported they stopped around 20 hgvs and found some 60 faults including
driving over hours & vehicles in a dangerous condition.
Just heard on the radio another cyclist killed in london by a lorry this lunchtime, it’s getting almost unbelievable now.
Mullens:
Just heard on the radio another cyclist killed in london by a lorry this lunchtime, it’s getting almost unbelievable now.
This can’t go on, don’t know the full details but from the time given a rush hour ban wouldn’t have protected this poor bugger.
Time to seperate us- Day time ban on trucks and relaxing of pavement rules in the evening.
It must get to the stage where the " them and us" culture of blaming each other stops - and a process of education for all starts.
I am no fan of greater “training” for training sake - but could it be time for a training programme for truck drivers wanting to drive within London to be educated about the problems of cyclists? (could count towards the DCPC) and if cyclist want to use Londons roads they would have to had “other road user awareness training”- simply enforced on both sides that if driving/cycling in London you must hold a current road user awareness card - if you do something stupid and are caught you lose the right to drive/cycle in London-caught without a permit/ truck is impounded until a qualified driver arrives- cyclist gets bike permantly confiscated
This way both truck drivers and cyclists have equal responsibilities and equal possible sanctions - tis only an idea, but something has to change- there is too many dead cyclists and too many drivers trying to live with whats happened
Rikki-UK:
It must get to the stage where the " them and us" culture of blaming each other stops - and a process of education for all starts.I am no fan of greater “training” for training sake - but could it be time for a training programme for truck drivers wanting to drive within London to be educated about the problems of cyclists? (could count towards the DCPC) and if cyclist want to use Londons roads they would have to had “other road user awareness training”- simply enforced on both sides that if driving/cycling in London you must hold a current road user awareness card - if you do something stupid and are caught you lose the right to drive/cycle in London-caught without a permit/ truck is impounded until a qualified driver arrives- cyclist gets bike permantly confiscated
This way both truck drivers and cyclists have equal responsibilities and equal possible sanctions - tis only an idea, but something has to change- there is too many dead cyclists and too many drivers trying to live with whats happened
While I agree, I think that more responsibility has to come from the cyclists, that’s just how I feel.
Mullens:
Just heard on the radio another cyclist killed in london by a lorry this lunchtime, it’s getting almost unbelievable now.
when will it stop, 
Rikki-UK:
truck drivers wanting to drive within London
you make it sound like we have a choice when it comes to driving in the big smoke 
“pick me, pick me boss, I wanna drive in London, yay”
Cruise Control:
Mullens:
Just heard on the radio another cyclist killed in london by a lorry this lunchtime, it’s getting almost unbelievable now.
That looks very much like another cyclist up the inside of a left turning vehicle at traffic lights. This is a very bad place for cyclists to be, and the worst of it is that they’re encouraged there by painted cycle lanes at many traffic lights. I never use these, preferring instead to treat my bike like the vehicle it is and take up whichever lane I need for as long as necessary.
Boris may be having second thoughts about encouraging hoards of cyclists onto the roads of London
dailymail.co.uk/news/article … roads.html
I must be getting old, I’ve just quoted the Daily Mail 
I’ll be complaining about foreigners next!
GasGas:
Boris may be having second thoughts about encouraging hoards of cyclists onto the roads of London
I don’t think there’s necessarily any harm in cyclists being on the road: I commuted around the West Midlands for years on the road in rush hour, and I can count the near misses I had on the fingers of one hand. And I only ever had two actual incidents, and one of those was an argument with tramlines which was entirely my own stupid fault. But if Boris is having second thoughts about designing and implementing facilities for cyclists which actively place cyclists in dangerous positions, then that can only be a good thing.
Extra training for both cyclists and truck drivers would also be a good thing. I’ve said before that as someone with a foot in both camps I think I avoided a lot of potential incidents just by knowing when I was in a truck driver’s blindspot, and as a cyclist I never ever move the lorry without a good look in all the mirrors. I have been encouraged by the fact that the tone of this discussion - both on here and on the cycling forum I also visit - has been very different from the usual “flame war” that goes on when something like this happens.
FarnboroughBoy11:
Rikki-UK:
It must get to the stage where the " them and us" culture of blaming each other stops - and a process of education for all starts.I am no fan of greater “training” for training sake - but could it be time for a training programme for truck drivers wanting to drive within London to be educated about the problems of cyclists? (could count towards the DCPC) and if cyclist want to use Londons roads they would have to had “other road user awareness training”- simply enforced on both sides that if driving/cycling in London you must hold a current road user awareness card - if you do something stupid and are caught you lose the right to drive/cycle in London-caught without a permit/ truck is impounded until a qualified driver arrives- cyclist gets bike permantly confiscated
This way both truck drivers and cyclists have equal responsibilities and equal possible sanctions - tis only an idea, but something has to change- there is too many dead cyclists and too many drivers trying to live with whats happened
While I agree, I think that more responsibility has to come from the cyclists, that’s just how I feel.
It really can’t be an issue of both being at fault it’s a case of one or the other.In the case of truck drivers their LGV training and examination standards ‘should be’ sufficient to cover all eventualities because there’s no way that a two tier in town and out of town training system would work safely.What seems to be happening is that a specific road user group is managing to put itself into the position where those normal parameters,required to drive a truck safely,in the use of mirrors,is being defeated and no amount of shouting at drivers to use their mirrors more will help because they’re already doing that in order to drive a truck safely anyway.The limiting factor being blind spots and not being able to drive a truck just on what’s happening in the nearside mirrors.Which then just leaves the last line of defence being that sixth sense that says someone or something ‘might’ be there on the nearside when making a turn even though nothing is showing in the mirrors.That sixth sense isn’t something that can be trained into anyone and won’t be provided by a piece of paper.
Which realistically just leaves the issues in regards to cyclists in that their vulnerability is always going to be an issue of the law of averages from the collision with large vehicles point of view in which the more cyclists there are who want to ride cycles on the road,as opposed to off road wherever and whenever possible,the more odds of collision there will be and undertaking large vehicles in the course of that will just add massively to those odds.
As for the current statistics they are actually not any different to those provided over the previous two years.It’s just that this year they seem to be taking place in a higher concentration at the end of the year.
Carryfast:
FarnboroughBoy11:
Rikki-UK:
It must get to the stage where the " them and us" culture of blaming each other stops - and a process of education for all starts.I am no fan of greater “training” for training sake - but could it be time for a training programme for truck drivers wanting to drive within London to be educated about the problems of cyclists? (could count towards the DCPC) and if cyclist want to use Londons roads they would have to had “other road user awareness training”- simply enforced on both sides that if driving/cycling in London you must hold a current road user awareness card - if you do something stupid and are caught you lose the right to drive/cycle in London-caught without a permit/ truck is impounded until a qualified driver arrives- cyclist gets bike permantly confiscated
This way both truck drivers and cyclists have equal responsibilities and equal possible sanctions - tis only an idea, but something has to change- there is too many dead cyclists and too many drivers trying to live with whats happened
While I agree, I think that more responsibility has to come from the cyclists, that’s just how I feel.
It really can’t be an issue of both being at fault it’s a case of one or the other.In the case of truck drivers their LGV training and examination standards ‘should be’ sufficient to cover all eventualities because there’s no way that a two tier in town and out of town training system would work safely.What seems to be happening is that a specific road user group is managing to put itself into the position where those normal parameters,required to drive a truck safely,in the use of mirrors,is being defeated and no amount of shouting at drivers to use their mirrors more will help because they’re already doing that in order to drive a truck safely anyway.The limiting factor being blind spots and not being able to drive a truck just on what’s happening in the nearside mirrors.Which then just leaves the last line of defence being that sixth sense that says someone or something ‘might’ be there on the nearside when making a turn even though nothing is showing in the mirrors.That sixth sense isn’t something that can be trained into anyone and won’t be provided by a piece of paper.
Which realistically just leaves the issues in regards to cyclists in that their vulnerability is always going to be an issue of the law of averages from the collision with large vehicles point of view in which the more cyclists there are who want to ride cycles on the road,as opposed to off road wherever and whenever possible,the more odds of collision there will be and undertaking large vehicles in the course of that will just add massively to those odds.
As for the current statistics they are actually not any different to those provided over the previous two years.It’s just that this year they seem to be taking place in a higher concentration at the end of the year.
I didn’t say both would be at fault, I said more responsibility has to come from the cyclists. You can train and train and train the truck drivers all you want but no matter what you do, you can’t stop a cyclist coming up the inside of you on that split second when your checking or looking elsewhere.
In an ideal world we would have the same number of eyes in our head as the same amount of mirrors we have to look in.
It’s not hard at all, it really isn’t, don’t ride up the inside of large vehicles.
Such a waste.
Has it ever been the case where a cyclist has been at a junction & a truck has come up along side them? I only ask because it’s always assumed on here that it’s the other way around.
Amazing, found this forum after one of you guys posted on Bike Radar. Great to see that there are loads of sensible/normal posters on this forum as well as BR. Trouble is plenty of complete tools as well. Stereotypes abound, ah well, nothing new there then. Why can’t everyone look past the the hype and just accept that most people are just getting on with their lives, and really aren’t out to get you. There are selfish, inconsiderate idiots on and in all forms of transport, get over it.
Slackbladder:
Has it ever been the case where a cyclist has been at a junction & a truck has come up along side them? I only ask because it’s always assumed on here that it’s the other way around.
Not done it myself and will hang back as the cyclist will always have more initial getaway speed, can’t speak for others though but it would be very bad and pointless practice. Also the cyclist if at the junction first is way beyond the stop line on his starting blocks.
Won’t even do it in a car but if a cyclist is along side me in a car they are usually being nice and letting me go or if they pull in front I will nip past (if its safe to do so) later on.
Apart from those that sit in the middle of the road then I overtake them like I would a car and get the missus to shout abuse and knock em off with a stick through the spokes (I’m joking about this bit honest).
I am no fan of greater “training” for training sake - but could it be time for a training programme for truck drivers wanting to drive within London to be educated about the problems of cyclists? (could count towards the DCPC)
There already are course being done by FORS for this, it’s a big thing with Crossrail.
The whole DCPC thing could have had one such module that was compulsory, it might have been more useful than some of the tosh being bandied about. Somehow I can see that something along those lines could well happen soon.
Phil Fouracre:
Amazing, found this forum after one of you guys posted on Bike Radar. Great to see that there are loads of sensible/normal posters on this forum as well as BR. Trouble is plenty of complete tools as well. Stereotypes abound, ah well, nothing new there then. Why can’t everyone look past the the hype and just accept that most people are just getting on with their lives, and really aren’t out to get you. There are selfish, inconsiderate idiots on and in all forms of transport, get over it.
Hi Phil and welcome, all forums have their fair share of ranters and ravers but I have noticed some similarity’s between points of view even if when its being looked at from totally different perspectives.
Slackbladder:
Has it ever been the case where a cyclist has been at a junction & a truck has come up along side them? I only ask because it’s always assumed on here that it’s the other way around.
Oh yeah if that’s the case then the truck driver deserves everything he gets.