It seems today the European Parliament will vote on safer lorry design regulations to help save cyclists lives! Bigger window , rounder front end , crumple zones .
Doesn’t stop a stupid cyclist though.
euractiv.com/transport/ngos- … ews-519081
Bet the manufacturers are really pleased having just spent a fortune
on designing new vehicles.Bet they are no bigger inside sod the driver.
If the change goes through should be on road in 7 years according to the news.
They need to start educating cyclists, or some of them. Suprised it wasnt on jeremy vines show
When will the EU leave us alone? they want to change our speed limits, number plates, driving licences and now the shape of the vehicles?
Whatever next?
Vote UKIP!
Hiya…i was wondering if they would change the shape of a nearside wheels, as its usually that, squashed the rider.
John
degsy4wheels:
They need to start educating cyclists, or some of them. Suprised it wasnt on jeremy vines show
So true that’s where most of the problem is. Can’t see any manufacturers being able to design a wheel with a crumple zone 
Thinking outside box a bit…
Lorries are banned from many small roads /areas due to their size / weight. They are forced onto more appropriate larger roads.
Cycles are small and can go anywhere they please.
Sometimes main artery routes are narrow and hot spots for cyclist accidents particularly during left hand turns. Lorries have no choice but to take the only available road.
Isn’t it about time some choice stretches of road had cycling bans? (I say this as a keen cyclist!) I’m thinking of busy trunk routes in inner cities. It’s much easier and more practical for bikes to divert to smaller back streets. Most sensible cyclists do this anyway… I tried Old Street roundabout once on a bike, got home, looked at a map and found a safer way!
Probably just threatening it would do - “unless there is a marked reduction in bikes undertaking lorries at junctions these stretches of roads will soon have bike bans”.
Hey, I can dream…!
and what happens when these super duper new bike friendly trucks are introduced and have become the norm rather than a rarity and still the rate of cyclists getting killed by trucks doesent change ?..
oh yeah it will still be the truck drivers fault NEVER the lycra clad lunatic
I think the cyclist bit is abit of spin for the media to get it in the main news, I’ve heard something about the EU looking at changing the max dimensions allowed in cab design to give a crumple zone, more for the driver than cyclists, and to allow more flexibility in the design to improve fuel consumption.
Reading the link this is just the first part of a consultation process that may lead to the changes beng brought in.
They should be making lorries brighter and earlier to see like the Indians do
What I’d like to know is why they did away with the window at the bottom of the doors which were on trucks in the 50’s to 70’s. Solved part of the problem.
I think they should make them out of foam and cork.
Notice It’s an EU thing again and not British. Bossy boots Europe with its head in the clouds strikes again.
Instead of EU law about lorries having round noses how about a British action to segregate cyclists and heavy freighter traffic on small city mainline routes by providing correct, isolated cycle lanes which they must adhere to (no go pro hero YouTube idiots waving the 3 page long highway code choosing not to) and a proper licence for central London cyclists?
As long as people want to buy goods they are going to be moved by large, extremely heavy commerical vehicles unless you want thousands of 7.5 tonners everywhere.
With regard to the comment about driving into a current HGV being like driving into a wall, no rounded nose will effectively dissipate the gazillion foot pounds of energy a frontal with an artic creates anymore than a rounded nose as opposed to a square one helping you crash in a 737 aircraft. At slow speed impacts it will help, but hit a closing speed of 80mph with 44 tonnes behind it and that would have to be one colossal crumple zone to still not total a car. The one thing I can understand is the emmisions. Current designs are pretty draggy.
Conor:
What I’d like to know is why they did away with the window at the bottom of the doors which were on trucks in the 50’s to 70’s. Solved part of the problem.
Some trucks do have them, especially ones designed for urban work.
You could design & build the safest truck possible and it would be fine, until someone gets behind the wheel & takes it on the road. If the driver isn’t going to look then any safety advances are rendered useless.