So, went to an industry exhibition the other day at which National Grid had a few stands, one of which was their new core and vac trucks which just by chance had all the cycle vehicle safety stuff on that me and simonr worked with a couple of the fleet guys to implement (the stuff we won our safety award for).
It was pretty cool to see it up and running, and i thought you might like to see it, so here it is.... you will have to excuse my photography skills, was trying to demurely climb into the cab (and failing miserably) in tight skirt and heels..
Sensors down the side of the vehicle and flashy thing (official technical term) inside the lorry telling the driver there is a cyclist there (and how close)... (goes from green to red and beeps quicker and quicker, like a parking sensor)
Camera on side of vehicle and onboard monitor (the reason the view in the monitor is not clear is because there was the back of a TV stand in the way, which I couldn't move because people were watching it). When the indicator is turned on, the camera and monitor is activated and an audible alarm comes on warning the cyclist the vehicle is turning left or right.
and not forgetting the all important sticker on the back (also there is one inside the door reminding the driver to look out for cyclists before opening the door but i forgot to take a photo).
Obviously, i would rather you didn't ride up the side of our HGVs coz you feel the need to test the equipment, not least because its still a work in progress, and not all of our vehicles have been fitted with it yet, but also because obviously no system is fool proof.
Without hesitation, the company has pretty much taken on board all of our suggestions and just run with it, and I'm very proud to work for a company that takes the safety of the community so seriously that it took such a proactive approach, rather than wait for a disaster to react to. And they also let me take any time i need to train the cyclists and I've even known them pay for road alterations to make it safer for our cyclists.
As I'm office based, its the first chance I've had to see the results of the project to get this stuff implemented, which was really nice (I'm due my official viewing in December with Simonr).
It was pretty cool to see it up and running, and i thought you might like to see it, so here it is.... you will have to excuse my photography skills, was trying to demurely climb into the cab (and failing miserably) in tight skirt and heels..
Sensors down the side of the vehicle and flashy thing (official technical term) inside the lorry telling the driver there is a cyclist there (and how close)... (goes from green to red and beeps quicker and quicker, like a parking sensor)
Camera on side of vehicle and onboard monitor (the reason the view in the monitor is not clear is because there was the back of a TV stand in the way, which I couldn't move because people were watching it). When the indicator is turned on, the camera and monitor is activated and an audible alarm comes on warning the cyclist the vehicle is turning left or right.
and not forgetting the all important sticker on the back (also there is one inside the door reminding the driver to look out for cyclists before opening the door but i forgot to take a photo).
Obviously, i would rather you didn't ride up the side of our HGVs coz you feel the need to test the equipment, not least because its still a work in progress, and not all of our vehicles have been fitted with it yet, but also because obviously no system is fool proof.
Without hesitation, the company has pretty much taken on board all of our suggestions and just run with it, and I'm very proud to work for a company that takes the safety of the community so seriously that it took such a proactive approach, rather than wait for a disaster to react to. And they also let me take any time i need to train the cyclists and I've even known them pay for road alterations to make it safer for our cyclists.
As I'm office based, its the first chance I've had to see the results of the project to get this stuff implemented, which was really nice (I'm due my official viewing in December with Simonr).