Frightening truck "safety video"...

[jefmcg]

I've had at least six occasions where a HGV or bus has passed me then moved straight in front of me and would have have crushed me if I hadn't taken evasive action. My favourite was when I was in the right lane at the lights to navigate a one way system, and a bus pulled in beside me, heading the same way. Immediately he passed me when the lights changed, he started to move right, I shouted (I've a loud voice) "I'm still here" and he moved back into his own lane and stayed there. That was scary because although he'd seen me at the lights, it was apparent as soon as I was out of his sight, he forgot me completely. He didn't try to push me out of the way again, so I believe it was a negligent not an aggressive act. However, when a lorry passes me just before a bend in the road, and I can see exactly where I would have been if I hadn't braked, as his wheels pressed against the gutter, that's a definite "f-you, just get out of my way or I will kill you"

Videos like this say it's the riders fault. As Glenn indicates, it rarely ever is. Which is fascinating, I see cyclists doing Darwinian moves all the time, riding up the side of stopped buses that are so close to the curb they have to push themselves on the side of bus as there no room to pedal, riders moving up the inside of a vehicle indicating left etc etc. But these riders aren't the ones who are dying.

 

[mjr]

OK, but you aren't legally allowed to be on those roads if you are a pedestrian, so it's no surprise there's not suitable pedestrian facilities there.

I know a motorway-motorway junction is a special case but many motorway junctions are similar, even if you're allowed to walk alongside some of the connecting roads. Crossing M42 junction 6 to get from Birmingham International to where I was going was one of the scariest things I've done... and it looks like changes since then have made matters worse and the footway I used now stops abruptly without warning on the blank side of a crash barrier at https://goo.gl/maps/hdeXGMWbZoy - that's not even an A road but only the exhibition centre entrance. I also lurve the tyre tracks from U-turns across the traffic island that you see if you turn a bit.

The footway around the southern edge still looks complete but there's no way to cross the A45 before the next junction west which could mean a long old walk... or just running across the carriageway... or giving up and driving, more likely.

It's 2016. We've known about pollution and climate change for ages. Why are we still building this crap???

 

[jefmcg]

It's 2016. We've known about pollution and climate change for ages. Why are we still building this crap???

True story.

I was talking to a buddy about a decade ago, a recently graduated professional, who was driving an old beater.
(her) "People at work laugh at my car. They say I should get a car with lower emissions".
(me) "How strange. If you are concerned about emissions, you really shouldn't be driving at all, but taking public transport or cycling."
(her)"Yes, but my office is near the junction of 2 motorways. There's really no way to get there except by car."
(me)"Who do you work for?"
(her)"The Environment Agency"

 

[mjr]

(her)"Yes, but my office is near the junction of 2 motorways. There's really no way to get there except by car."
(me)"Who do you work for?"
(her)"The Environment Agency"

I can well believe it as the Environment Agency is often accused of being against cycling schemes which affect their domain, which sucks because the tops of flood defence banks are pretty good places for cycle tracks and their sluice-tops and access tracks are useful river crossings. However, I haven't confirmed that opposition myself because there have been other landowners opposing the two I've known: NCR 33 Taunton-Bridgwater-Weston-Clevedon crossing Tutshill Sluice and Brean Cross Sluice.

 

[Brandane]

[QUOTE 4199855, member: 45"]My main point is that the truck driver can't see anything in the lane beside him. So regardless of whether anyone is or should be beside the truck he's turning into a blind area. This shouldn't be acceptable.[/QUOTE]
Ha! You've been brainwashed by the extremely misleading video in your OP..
This WAS done to death a while back, but until I can find it, here are my main gripes with THAT video, from the POV of one who actually drives the things:

1. Mirrors are badly adjusted, just for effect. They are showing too much of the side of the tractor unit, and in the nearside mirror all you see is the trailer - that's because the tractor unit and trailer are at an angle (again for effect) which would only be the case after the manoeuvre has started - not while sitting at a stop.
2. Camera is being held at waist height (for more effect!!). If it was at driver's eye level you would see some of those cyclists just by looking out the nearside window.
3. No mention or view of the convex blindspot mirror at the top of the passenger side window which points downwards.

Utter scaremongering on a grand scale; that video. Us HGV drivers are treated like lepers as it is; we don't need BS clips like this to make things worse!

 

[Brandane]

Here is a more realistic view, courtesy of a previous thread posted by @PeteXXX . The photo is taken from a fixed point; obviously you can increase your field of vision simply by moving your head around.

 

[summerdays]

if it were two lanes then the cyclists would be ok moving up , but the truck would not be turning left from a right hand lane.

I've seen lorries turn left from a sort of right lane position, they tend to do it when it's a tight corner and they need the extra space, but they normally indicate and seem to try and straddle both lanes to prevent other vehicles from passing (obviously bikes could pass through the gap). I guess I'm saying don't assume that a lorry that is over to the right at a junction is going right.

 

[Brandane]

I have tried that but it doesn't work for me.

That's strange. I find that if I alter the angle at which I am looking in the mirror, i.e. by moving my head, I can see areas that I couldn't previously see from with my head glued to the headrest.

I've seen lorries turn left from a sort of right lane position, they tend to do it when it's a tight corner and they need the extra space, but they normally indicate and seem to try and straddle both lanes to prevent other vehicles from passing (obviously bikes could pass through the gap). I guess I'm saying don't assume that a lorry that is over to the right at a junction is going right.

Yes they have to do that to avoid taking out the street furniture on the nearside with the back end of the trailer! I would hope that any driver turning left at a junction would use indicators, but especially an HGV doing it from a position to the right of the accepted norm..

 

[Brandane]

Sorry, I was just being silly looking at the photo.

Oh, errrm, ok.. Ha ha... Remember you're not posting in SCP here, you're allowed to use the yellow faces without losing your serious poster credibility .

 

[Lonestar]

Yep. I won't ride up the left of large vehicles but on any road ride of any distance in London, at least one large vehicle nobber overtakes me on a junction approach. Please reject the motoring propaganda, stop attacking cyclists and bring nobbers to account for careless driving.

I overtook a lorry on the right at Bank a few years back only to realise the steering wheel was on the left.Still I did realise afterwards the number plate gave it away but I wouldn't always take this as the case.Still plenty of lorries for me to tangle with @ Southwark Bridge to Tower Gateway.

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=135402

There are some real jokers out there...I've met many on my commute who can't even bother to indicate anyway when it's wall to wall with lorries but this thread sums it up a bit...I've even had comments from my workmates on almost getting run down when they were crossing the road in London...Bad eggs in their set just like ours...

 

[Absinthe Minded]

... what kind of brainless moronic halfwit other than a Londoner would position his/her bike in that lane???

Some dimmo from: Sometimes Bolton, sometimes Urmston?

 

[Hitchington]

what kind of brainless moronic halfwit other than a Londoner would position his/her bike in that lane???

As a cyclist living in central London I get plenty of lorries, buses, coaches, trucks, vans, taxis, cars pulling up along my right hand side when I'm waiting at a junction. Not sure why that would make me a moronic halfwit?

 

[snorri]

As a cyclist living in central London I get plenty of lorries, buses, coaches, trucks, vans, taxis, cars pulling up along my right hand side when I'm waiting at a junction. Not sure why that would make me a moronic halfwit?

The critics are all around, if they don't get you for cycling badly, they'll get you for duplicate posting.

 

[Hitchington]

The critics are all around, if they don't get you for cycling badly, they'll get you for duplicate posting.

Haha, oops! Dunno how that happened?

 

[ufkacbln]

It highlights that the stipulation that you should not overtake when approaching a junction is there for a reason.
if the cyclists were there first then the truck wait behind them. If the truck was there first, it should have been indicating left and the any vehicle should be sitting behind them.
if it were two lanes then the cyclists would be ok moving up , but the truck would not be turning left from a right hand lane.
But the video does raise the issue of blind spots, which I am sure all road users could do with more reminding about, information is always a good thing

Each time I have been in this situation, the truck has pulled alongside me....

The last "close shave" was an artic overtaking at the approach to a pinch point causing me to mount a drive to avoid the trailer

Yes there is education for cyclists, but lets also see the education for truckers