London Lorry Drivers to get Bicycle Training

[MontyVeda]

Dunno if anybody has seen this or if it's already been posted...

http://road.cc/content/news/43896-thousands-more-lorry-drivers-line-bike-cycle-awareness-training

... necessary or not?

 

[twobiker]

They will have a job dragging 38 tonne .

 

[brockers]

When I took my Class II LGV lessons in London we had it drummed into us to take extra care when around cyclists. To check, check, check and keep checking the mirrors as you overtake, or are near a cyclist. I don't know what more lorry drivers can be expected to do. I cringe when I see the idiotic manouevres that some cyclists pull when near a lorry, expecting the driver to see them with their superhuman senses. Bus drivers though..

 

[MissTillyFlop]

I have found the majority of lorry drivers (with UK number plates) to be far better than advertised!

I do tend to give them quite a wide berth though.

 

[clarion]

i'm in London. Most cyclist deaths in London have been of riders who were left hooked by lorries. Not the riders going up the left of the truck, as we hear in all the victim-blaming Speakyorbranes comments. So there is a lot more that truck drivers can be doing.

This training programme is very limited, but a good idea. I think that doing cycle training should be a prerequisite for any driving license, but especially HGV.

 

[Melonfish]

I do rate british lorry drivers quite well, my father in law happens to be one, and his method of getting to work? yup bicycle.
he knows the limitations of his vision and he knows about the danger he can pose to cyclsts because he is one.

another example is junction 11 of the m62. the road from birchwood to this junction is a national limit road but is old, narrow and full of pot holes.
directly off that road is an industrial estate and lots of lorries use this junction.
anyways, i've cycled up this a fair few times to access the bridleway which takes me to work due to it being a narrow road naturally lorry passes can be a little scary, but i'm happy to report that mostly they pass me properly and give plenty of room, and they get a big thumbs up when they do (sometimes i get a honk back) the one that really sticks out though is the impatient European driver that couldn't really care less about me, being there, despite him being on the left side of the cab and could clearly see me, he damn near flattened me, shot past doing about 55 or so and i had to litterally throw myself to one side.
fortunatly there was a lay-by on my side just as he passed and i managed to get into that as he shot past, i swear tho it was almost a new shorts moment.

in that lay-by is a burger van and a chap stood there even swore at the driver as he went past and asked if i was ok (nice chap)
i was wearing my best day glow too.
i like this idea, but i reckon it should be extended to bus drivers because they're just plain blind!

 

[MontyVeda]

...

This training programme is very limited, but a good idea. I think that doing cycle training should be a prerequisite for any driving license, but especially HGV.

Most of the criticisms of Driver CPC are due to how limited it is... it seems to be more a case of putting the hours in rather than getting the training needed to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence.


I agree it should be for bus and coach drivers too... and rolled out across the UK.. and not a voluntary addition to the course at some extra cost.

 

[albion]

By far the worst is white van man.Bus and lorry drivers are comparative saints.

 

[Glow worm]

Really bad incident in Cambridge today involving a lorry and cyclist I'm sad to report. More Here