Lorry drivers / Cyclists

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I’m a journalist at The Times and I’m trying to find a lorry driver who’s been involved in a collision with a cyclist.

Reading the posts on here, it’s clear that there’s a lot of criticism of cyclists that don’t follow the rules, and I know that cyclists don’t have much sympathy for lorry drivers either.

So I want to interview a lorry driver who has been in the horrible situation of being in a collision with a cyclist, to try to help people to see it from their point of view.

If anyone is interested, please send me an email on ruth.maclean@thetimes.co.uk or give me a ring on 07771912952.

Thanks everyone.

NB for moderators: Rikki has OK’d my post, so please don’t remove it!

2

Welcome to the forum Ruth.
The collision on the A19 yesterday was in my area for the police scheme, our lads recovered the artic (I’m on my days off).

I’m sure the haulage industry as a whole appreciate your efforts for trying to portray both viewpoints, though I seriously doubt you will get your interview with the driver, not for quite some time anyway.

As this was a fatality there will be an inquest, typically these don’t conclude for at least a year, and it would be extremely unwise for the driver to be interviewed by the press prior to the outcome of the inquest (he will have been advised not to comment by his legal advisors).

However, inquest reports for older cases are available in the public domain and may be a more suitable source of information.
Hope this helps,
Cieran

3

Welcome to the forum Ruth

Ive not had a collision with a cyclist, but at the age of 14, I was close to being squashed by the trailer wheels of a Artic.

Until I got into driving artics, I always thought that the driver was to blame, now knowing that I was probably to blame due to not knowing the blind spots on a Artic and the driver was unable to see me

I feel that everyone should be aware at a early age of the dangers of every type of vehicle, esp Artics and their blind spots.

London is the worse Ive ever come across, they feel they own the road, and its so common that they even cross a road when they do not have the right of way, I.e crossing when the traffic lights are on Red

4

To be honest, I ride a pushbike and drive an artic, have no problem with cyclists, EXCEPT!! (you knew it was coming), when you struggle to get past, you’re stuck behind them, waiting for a safe gap so you can give them plenty of space, then you get stopped a bit up the road and the muppets go past you again, and you have to go through it all again, whilst still trying to keep a decent mpg to keep the office bods happy.

I’ve even blocked off the inside (not RIGHT infront of a cyclist) after being sick of passing them, and they go up the pavement and come back down infront of you.

I think that some want a ‘claim’ or have a deathwish, if I’m the 1st person at a set of lights, there’s no point in a cyclist going to that effort to get infront of me just to slow me down when the lights turn green.

5

Round our way they ignore the cycle paths and ride on the road. It was also in the news recently about a guy who was very badly injured on the bypass after being hit by a lorry, If I can read the signs telling cyclists to go via the village whilst traveling at 30mph why can’t the cyclists? In my opinion they should have some kind of test to show they are safe to go on the roads and why they don’t need insurance is completely beyond me.

6

cieranc:
Welcome to the forum Ruth.
The collision on the A19 yesterday was in my area for the police scheme, our lads recovered the artic (I’m on my days off).

I’m sure the haulage industry as a whole appreciate your efforts for trying to portray both viewpoints, though I seriously doubt you will get your interview with the driver, not for quite some time anyway.

As this was a fatality there will be an inquest, typically these don’t conclude for at least a year, and it would be extremely unwise for the driver to be interviewed by the press prior to the outcome of the inquest (he will have been advised not to comment by his legal advisors).

However, inquest reports for older cases are available in the public domain and may be a more suitable source of information.
Hope this helps,
Cieran

I went past the scene of this accident and whilst we dont know the whys and wherefores of it, what on earth would possess a guy to ride a bicycle along a busy dual carriageway in the dark in the lead up to rush hour?

I know people are perfectly within their rights to do this, but they are also within their rights to stand in a blizzard on top of Skiddaw wearing only a tuttu and a feather boa. Most people might think this is foolhardy behaviour.

It could just say something about the mindset of some cyclists, i.e. “I have a perfect right to be here…so there, let them go around me”. Well, thats great when it works.

When one considers the lengths the police go to when the hard shoulder is used for a breakdown these days, (coning off lane 1), putting on as many flashing lights as possible and warning drivers on overhead gantries, it makes me think that cyclists would not be allowed anywhere near a dual carriageway if they had just been invented last week. It totally flies in the face of any health and safety philosophy.

I`m sure the guy had a full set of lights on his bike and was doing nothing illegal, I have a full set of lights on my bike, but I would never ride on these roads which are totally unsuitable.

Make no mistake here, that driver will do time in prison for this and thats wrong.

7

Might be worth interviewing the driver of this truck.

Truck.jpg

8

I know that I will probably be shot down in flames for my opinions, but I think younger cyclists(say up to 12 years of age) should HAVE to take a cycling proficiency test before they go on any type of road and definitely should not be allowed on any main road, and any cyclist over that age should have to take a proper test similar to a motorcycle test before being allowed on them. They appear to have absolutely no idea of road safety or if they do they ignore it. I also think they should have to have some form of road traffic insurance. Got the tin hat ready!!

9

Registering and insuring Bikes would be wonderful, but I can’t see how you would enforce it.

10

starfighter:
Registering and insuring Bikes would be wonderful, but I can’t see how you would enforce it.

number plate?

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/4296

Make cyclists have registration plates, insurance and pay road tax.

Responsible department: Department for Transport

As many road accidents are CAUSED by inconsiderate pedal cyclists it is at present impossible to trace them if they leave the scene. Therefore they should have licence plates and their details registered with the DVLA (as is compulsory for motor vehicle drivers), should be fully insured and pay road tax like other road users.

11

How much would you pay?

12

10-08:

starfighter:
Registering and insuring Bikes would be wonderful, but I can’t see how you would enforce it.

number plate?

Kid’s Bikes?
Cost of getting the buffoons at the DVLA to set up and administer the registration system?
Availability of police to enforce the law?

13

starfighter:

10-08:

starfighter:
Registering and insuring Bikes would be wonderful, but I can’t see how you would enforce it.

number plate?

Kid’s Bikes?
Cost of getting the buffoons at the DVLA to set up and administer the registration system?
Availability of police to enforce the law?

You let your kids ride on the road? :open_mouth:

14

I haven’t got any kids but I wouldn’t let them ride on the road where I live.
But where would you draw the line of registering?
Many 13-16 year old kids ride on the roads to school, would they have to register their bikes and have them insured too?

I’m not against the idea, I just don’t think it is very practical and there would not be the political will to bring it in.

15

starfighter:
I haven’t got any kids but I wouldn’t let them ride on the road where I live.
But where would you draw the line of registering?
Many 13-16 year old kids ride on the roads to school, would they have to register their bikes and have them insured too?

I’m not against the idea, I just don’t think it is very practical and there would not be the political will to bring it in.

No I think you would just have something to identify it as a childs bike and not allow it on the road

16

I wonder how you would get on if one of Boris’s barclaybikes crashed into you, as i am sure they all have an identity number so would presume the hirer (rider) could be traced to pursue a claim or just try and claim from TFL. now theres food for thought.
some of the people riding them should not be allowed to walk the streets of london let alone ride a bike!

17

As it stands a cyclist uses the road by right same as a pedestrian or a horse rider-dont get me started on those double -barreled zbs-The kids get a bike for Christmas and are told you cant ride it until the DVLA open after the holidays when we will tax and insure it.Do we tax and insure skateboards and kick scooters,how about wooden balance bikes ,are they exempt?When my collie poos I have to pick it up ,when Dobbin drops a few apples the rider doesnt bother.

18

There’s no way registering bikes would work. At best, the ban on cycling/walking on motorways should be extended to trunk roads and/or dual carriageways.

No matter how well the bike was illuminated, how visible I was or how proficient I was at cycling, there’s no way I would feel it safe to ride on the A19, in the dark, approaching rush hour.

In fact, I wouldn’t be at all comfortable cycling on any stretch of the A19 at any time, and though I feel for the victim and the victims family, I fear a little more common sense should have been exersized here.

19

about a month or so before christmas ,i was called out to backfill a burst main around 11 pm , loaded 6 wheel grab , pouring with rain and not a nice night to be out , i was heading from Odiham to Alton and just nearing a small village called Blounce no streetlighting and fairly wooded roads
i had cars behind me and also coming towards me , i suddenly caught sight of and orange flicker , like the eyes of a fox or similar
only this time it was the small refectors on a pedal i had to brake pretty hard as due to the oncoming traffic i could not overtake
the cyclist was all in black head to foot , i had my hand on the horn only to receive the coffee beans handshake
the guy does not know how lucky he is to still be alive :imp:

and then you get the tossers who when overtaken by me in a 3cx ,slip out into the slipsteam to get a “tow” and are that close to the back bucket could touch it with a finger ,have their head down pedalling like mad to stay there

20

Just before Christmas I came out a place I collect from at 6 15 am if anyone nows Armitage Shanks near Rugeley it’s a realy dark lane.I came to the junction looked both ways nothing pulled forward and how I saw this bike at the last second god nows all in black with a lights no better than candles.He gave me loads of verbals after we had both changed our kegs and went on his merry way,both of us were very lucky scared the (zb) out of me.