Trixi mirrors

[benb]

Read this on the Guardian cycling blog.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/apr/18/boris-lives-cyclists-trixi-mirror

Anyone have any knowledge about these mirrors, I haven't heard of them.

 

[Origamist]

Hi Ben, good to see someone posting in here.

We have these mirrors on our route in South London to the City (Cycle Superhighway 7). They are being trialled at the moment and they particularly help HGV drivers to see along their nearside.

Here's a pic of one at Tooting Bec: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16114972@N00/4768743572/

I don't believe there has been much research into there efficacy of the mirrors (some other countries in Europe do have them though), but I support the intervention.

The curious name, by the way, comes from a German girl, “Beatrix Willburger, who was 13 when she collided on her bike with a cement mixer. Her father then developed a convex mirror to be mounted on traffic lights at intersections. It lets truck and bus drivers see all around their rigs before driving off.”

http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/06/17/the-trixi-mirror/

 

[gaz]

The trixi mirrors have 4 probelms

• They are only any good if the driver of a hgv looks at them.
• They only work if the driver is at the front of the queue
• they only work if the driver has stopped at the first stopline
• they only work when the vehicle is stationary [aka no good for left hooks whilst moving]

I'm not saying they are bad, just that they will only work in certain situations.

 

[Origamist]

The trixi mirrors have 4 probelms

• They are only any good if the driver of a hgv looks at them.
• They only work if the driver is at the front of the queue
• they only work if the driver has stopped at the first stopline
• they only work when the vehicle is stationary [aka no good for left hooks whilst moving]

I'm not saying they are bad, just that they will only work in certain situations.

And drivers with a full complement of mirrors already have six dotted around the windows of their cab.

If they provide a more comprehensive view of the nearside they are worth having, but the installation of trixi mirrors is certainly not a panacea.