HGVs and cyclists

[deptfordmarmoset]

Notice that the article specifically talks of 'construction lorries'. They are a separate breed. Mostly paid by the load, it is in their financial interests to get as many loads a shift as possible, regardless of the impact on ANY other road user. Most HGV drivers regard them as a lower order and the sooner our dear Government gets it's common sense brain into gear and outlaws this type of payment system, the better.

Agreed, and I'll support any initiative that outlaws this payment system. So, we're not talking about HGVs taken together, we're talking about non-construction trucks? Are we talking about cyclists collectively then? Because I'll cycle as smart as I can yet still be one driver's error away from death.

 

[Markymark]

[QUOTE 3885337, member: 9609"]It isn't really a two way thing at all, a fully loaded 8 wheel tipper weighing in at 32 tonne is 500x heavier than a cyclist, when a collision occurs the cyclist very often dies. Yes cyclists can make mistakes and their road skills may not be as good as a professional driver, but should minor errors ever result in their death ? a warning sign on the back of a lorry should not give any driver immunity of responsibility.
And as for blind spots - don't drive into them - if you can't see the space where you are going, then don't drive into it.[/QUOTE]
Oh but bless it sounds really hard driving and not killing people. Give them a break?

 

[Dan B]

Oh but bless it sounds really hard driving and not killing people. Give them a break?

Especially when you have all the vehicle maintenance to do on top of the actual driving

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lorry-driver-who-fell-asleep-4145435

 

[Lonestar]

Especially when you have all the vehicle maintenance to do on top of the actual driving

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lorry-driver-who-fell-asleep-4145435

Plus texting and I've seen a some do that apart from driving like total loons in London and too fast.Must admit I don't like lorries at all.Southwark Bridge Northbound is particulary hazardous where they don't indicate in the left hand turn lane where they have the option to go left or right from there.Then again quite a few don't indicate in that lane anyway because they don't seem to be bothered.So it can be guesswork in which direction they are going.OTOH I do like buses and have no problems with them.

 

[Drago]

I've been riding horses for 40 years and therefore must have expertise on the subject, despite never having been retrained or assessed, gained any advanced qualifications, and fallen off every 3rd ride.

 

[Simpleton]

With the recent coverage of HGVs and cyclists in London, it's time to play devil's advocate. I believe myself to be reasonably qualified to observe on the situation as over the last forty years, I've driven cars, vans large and small, 7.5tonne, 18 tonne and 32 tonne HGVs, all in urban and rural situations. And I've been cycling urban and rural for the last twenty plus years - !
The problem is very much a two way thing; HGVs are large with restricted vision compared with a car or bike. If an HGV driver can see a cyclist, he / she can react accordingly. But if a cyclist rides / hovers in a blind spot, then there is potential for trouble. Mirrors are fine, but with five plus mirrors to have to scan, an HGV driver can't be watching them all all of the time. Many of the HGV drivers I talk to on a daily basis complain about the number of road users who think an HGV is as easy to control as a car. The main issue appears to be when an HGV needs to turn left, it will often have to swing over to the right in order to negotiate the turn. Even when the HGV has clearly signalled its intention to turn left in good time, cars and cyclists will often whizz up on the left between HGV and kerb, then wonder why they get trashed. It's happened to me as an HGV driver and I've seen it many times on the road. Many HGVs now have a sign on the back stating 'Cyclists, beware of passing on the inside' - it's there for a reason.
Sorry if this sounds HGV bias, but surely it's common sense to stay behind an HGV if it's there before you and if one comes up beside you at lights etc., let it get away first. Those few seconds delay will probably save your life. Following those two basic rules, in twenty years, the GLW and I have never had any issues with HGVs.

It's not very much a two way thing as one road user bears the greater danger and thus has a greater responsibility than the other.

I don't think it all difficult to look at the nearside mirrors whilst waiting at the lights, after all these are the ones most pertinemt to 'blind spots'. Which incidentally don't exist on a truck with a class IV mirror and whose mirrors have been set up correctly.

I've yet to see a cyclist 'whizz up' the inside of a left turning hgv.

The keep clear signs are a political move by the Tfl who lack the balls to rigidly enforce road safety with respect to hgv's. My own anecdotal observations are of some drivers who seem to forgo all responsibility when it comes to other road users - and don't get me started on the 'it is dangerous to walk close to this vehicle' stickers - which I've seen slapped on the side of Bedford vans. Not quite sure what made them so dangerous today, was the vehicle this dangerous yesterday? Should it even be on the road? As I said a political move.

Your comments are frightening regarding letting the truck go if they are behind you. People have died from lorries overtaking them and then turning left. Suggest you rethink that one.

Please don't victim blame and would suggest a retraction given the points that I've raised. Or at least acknowledge that you are ignorant when it comes to how some of the cyclists have died in London and the barmy situation currently going on between various cycling groups (who think they know what they want for cyclists but don't), the Tfl who lack the guts to enforce road safety within London instead opting to play the political game, and the FHA who don't come down on operators enough who work in grouppage, give the driver 15hrs of work to do in a 12hr day and then wonder why incidents happen in an industry that has one of the very tightest of profit margins

 

[Markymark]

Let's be fair though, hgv drivers take safety really seriously. They do everything they can.

For example when the police in London did safety checks on 135 hgvs in London this year they were all fine. Oops, my bad. 95 were taken off the road for being dabgerous.

So, why not go to a fudging hgv forum and tell the majority of drivers who fiddle tacho meters, play with mobiles, druve drunk, druve without licenses, druve unsafe vehicles to get their fudging act together and maybe then cine tell cyclists what they shoukd do.

Drivers in 20 tonne killing machines who admit their lorries are not fit fir purpose as they cannit see due to blind spots let alone the illegally dangerous one found by the police as unsafe are a disgrace.

 

[steveindenmark]

The longer cyclists and lorry drivers keep bickering at each other, the longer the killing will go on.

I've been a cyclist for over 50 years and a lorry driver for over 30 years. I have never met a lorry driver who wants to go out and intentionally kill or hurt people but I have met plenty of cyclists who think it is their god given right to ride on that little bit of road, regardless of the consequences.

There should be a course which allows cyclists to travel in a cab with a lorry driver so they can see what goes on in a cab and what the driver sees. Not that any cyclists would sign up for the course because its not their responsibility, its the drivers.

Well my life is my responsibility and I know what the driver sees. I can't stop trucks coming near me, but I can keep away from them. That's 50% of the battle won.

 

[Markymark]

I have never met a lorry driver who wants to go out and intentionally kill or hurt people

Then how come 95 out of 135 lorries were taken off the road for being dangerous? Are lorry drivers inept or do they not really care about safety?

 

[steveindenmark]

Then how come 95 out of 135 lorries were taken off the road for being dangerous? Are lorry drivers inept or do they not really care about safety?

I have personally, never met a lorry driver who's vehicle has been taken off the road for being dangerous. Maybe I have just driven for the right outfits.

 

[Markymark]

I have personally, never met a lorry driver who's vehicle has been taken off the road for being dangerous. Maybe I have just driven for the right outfits.

You are in Denmark? I think it's probably better there. Here, drivibg an hgv dangerously is endemic. It's a fudging disgrace. So forgive me when I tell people who say it's 50:50 to do one as it simply is not.

 

[steveindenmark]

All my HGV/LGV driving was done in the UK. I drove for Tescos and Sainsburys along with a host of other companies. A quick look through Youtube will show some great examples how cyclists can be total dicks when it comes to riding near lorries or heavy vehicles.

I'm not saying lorry drivers are not to blame but cyclists can do a lot more to keep themselves safe. If there is a 30 ton lorry in front of me, I'm keeping away from it. That's my attitude. But other cyclists have the attitude "Why should I".

Everyone has a responsibility to look out for each other on the road, but cyclists need to look out for themselves first.

 

[Mugshot]

Let's be fair though, hgv drivers take safety really seriously. They do everything they can.

For example when the police in London did safety checks on 135 hgvs in London this year they were all fine. Oops, my bad. 95 were taken off the road for being dabgerous.

So, why not go to a fudging hgv forum and tell the majority of drivers who fiddle tacho meters, play with mobiles, druve drunk, druve without licenses, druve unsafe vehicles to get their fudging act together and maybe then cine tell cyclists what they shoukd do.

Drivers in 20 tonne killing machines who admit their lorries are not fit fir purpose as they cannit see due to blind spots let alone the illegally dangerous one found by the police as unsafe are a disgrace.

I like this, both for the content and for what may well be a world record amount of spelling mistakes is one post

 

[Mugshot]

The longer cyclists and lorry drivers keep bickering at each other, the longer the killing will go on.

I've been a cyclist for over 50 years and a lorry driver for over 30 years. I have never met a lorry driver who wants to go out and intentionally kill or hurt people but I have met plenty of cyclists who think it is their god given right to ride on that little bit of road, regardless of the consequences.

There should be a course which allows cyclists to travel in a cab with a lorry driver so they can see what goes on in a cab and what the driver sees. Not that any cyclists would sign up for the course because its not their responsibility, its the drivers.

Well my life is my responsibility and I know what the driver sees. I can't stop trucks coming near me, but I can keep away from them. That's 50% of the battle won.

I'll happily jump in the cab with a driver, so long as they agree to come for a 20 mile commute with me, not many lorry drivers I know would sign up for that.

 

[steveindenmark]

I'll happily jump in the cab with a driver, so long as they agree to come for a 20 mile commute with me, not many lorry drivers I know would sign up for that.

You seem to have the idea that lorry drivers cannot ride a bike. I don't know where you get that idea from but many of my ex colleagues used to ride their bikes to work. You had better go and sign up.