Cyclist leapt for safety on Blackfriars bridge

[Miquel In De Rain]

I think I didn't really want to believe that she went on the inside of a lorry.I wasn't there so I can't really see for myself what went on though.

 

[dellzeqq]

I agree with the post above that she might have been more circumspect - however - the layout encourages cyclists to think that left turning traffic will give way - which it probably does on many occasions - ive noticed in London that 1) cyclists often just follow the lead 2) taking a more cautious approach often leaves one open to abuse from the cyclists behind

this is exactly the case. Susie takes this route every day (and I accompany her when I can). You have to be circumspect.

Having said that...the truck driver didn't look.

 

[sabian92]

She even mentions she saw it indications. I'd let the truck go.

Going down the inside of a large vehicle whether it's indicating or not is asking for trouble, don't blame the road!

A quote from the text on that link;

On reaching the red traffic lights at the junction of Blackfriars Bridge and Victoria Embankment I stopped behind three or four cyclists in the cycle lane, waiting to go straight ahead. I was next to next to a truck as were the cyclists ahead of me. The truck was indicating left.

Don't get me wrong, i'm more than glad she wasn't seriously hurt or worse but....

If you keep riding like that you should expect to be run over. A 40 tonne lorry won't even flinch if it runs somebody over, so -10 points for her assuming. What's that phrase - assuming makes an ass out of you and me? An (almost) dead ass in this instance.

It sounds like (as much as I sound like a total arse here) her own fault. You ride down the inside of a lorry and things like this happen.

I'm glad she's OK but she's so bloody stupid for riding up the inside then carrying on straight ahead when she saw it indicating left.

 

[BentMikey]

I agree with the post above that she might have been more circumspect - however - the layout encourages cyclists to think that left turning traffic will give way

To be frank, so does the highway code:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070332

183

When turning
• keep as close to the left as is safe and practicable
• give way to any vehicles using a bus lane, cycle lane or tramway from either direction

 

[MontyVeda]

can we share a moments silence for ruth's bike...






























thank you [sniff]

 

[Red Light]

The trouble with all this "shouldn't have cycled down the inside is that this is not a narrow cycle lane up the inside. Its effectively a traffic lane in itself and the truck is turning left from the outside lane. You can hardly blame the cyclist in this case although I do agree about not cycling up the inside in general.

 

[dawesome]

Exactly, you're not supposed to cut across a lane whether you're indicating or not.

 

[fossyant]

But, people don't follow the rules do they, and this lady assumed the truck would wait. Truck driver is wrong, but a bit of 'switched on thinking' helps you stay alave.

 

[MissTillyFlop]

I know that, and you know that, but many inexperienced cyclists make the not unreasonable assumption that if they're in a cycle lane, they're ok. Therein lies the problem with our cycling infrastructure.

There should be more education what is safe though - there should be a briefing given whenever you buy a bike, as far as I'm concerned. We also have to take responsibility for our own safety.

 

[Hip Priest]

There should be more education what is safe though - there should be a briefing given whenever you buy a bike, as far as I'm concerned. We also have to take responsibility for our own safety.

When I bought my bike, it came with a handbook advising me to keep as close to the kerb as possible. I'd probably be a stain on the pavement by now if it wasn't for the good advice on here.

 

[GrasB]

This is a clear case of all or nothing road marking & vehicle control. You either need to go in with large road area allocation dedicated to cyclists in terms of a large & enforced ASL box, as they're expecting a high volume of cycles approaching the junction. You also need to use lane markings across the junction so that the cycle lane becomes effectively continuous. For traveling straight ahead. The alternative is remove the paint from the road & rely on people using half decent road craft all round, not just motorists but also cyclists.

 

[psmiffy]

ditto-GrasB

 

[dawesome]

The alternative is remove the paint from the road & rely on people using half decent road craft all round, not just motorists but also cyclists.

Interesting comments here:

http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/dangerous-lorry-driving-is-not-taken-seriously/

Many if not most minicab and HGV drivers are “self-employed” – in quotes because if their terms of engagement were to be analysed by the courts, under social security or tax legislation, the conclusion would certainly be that they are employed.

They have a single employer, who typically provides the tools of trade (dressed up, as in the case of Addison Lee) as a form of leasing or licensing of the vehicle by employer to driver. The are required to work at the times and in the places, and perform the tasks, decided on by their employer, and they don’t have the entitlement to sub-contract their jobs to third persons.


Their pay structure, again with specific reference to Addison Lee but it is commonplace in the haulage and courier business, is to charge fixed rates for the use of the vehicle and then pay per job for the journeys/loads undertaken by the driver.

The driver needs therefore to be awarded, and complete, a certain minimum number of trips a day just to break even, and the more trips he undertakes, the more money he takes home.

Hardly any surprise therefore that he will ignore speed limits, take risks and cut corners to earn a decent living, especially as the rates are structured to squeeze him like a lemon. It does not excuse his behaviour, but it certainly helps to explain it.

Skip lorries, scaffolding lorries and flat bed tipper lorries give me the serious heebie jeebies, the drivers are often knuckle-dragging sociopaths.

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

Bureaucracy is the enemy of progress. The simple solution here would be to move the vehicle stop line back 50 feet, change the law so that motorists stopping in an ASL becomes an offence similar to stopping in a box junction, and create a separate green light phase for cyclists so they have 10 seconds to clear the junction.

And that pavement is so huge I'm not sure why a filter lane for cyclists couldn't be created, so that they may turn left and bypass the lights, with a big tall kerb projecting into the embankment road so they may merge safely.

But the pen pushers would say that creates too much work.

 

[dawesome]

Driving into an ASL is already a TS10 offence, but the cops refuse to police them:

A spokesperson told me that in the past three years City Police issued 12 fixed penalties to motorists for entering ASZs unlawfully.


Yet in the same period it handed out just over 6,000 fixed penalties to cyclists for jumping red lights.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/aug/24/safety-red-lights-cyclists