another cyclist killed

[downfader]

Thats nearly a week for every year of her life. A family robbed of a loved one, and even an industry robbed of one of its scientists. At least he'll have to retest.

 

[steve52]

so sad maybe a must stop sustem at juctions would help? just an idear

 

[GrasB]

Undertook a lorry near a junction....

Yes but there's a marked cycle lane so extra care should have been taken by the driver. This is a classic example of why nearside cycle lanes are dangerous things to have.

 

[sheva]

The lorry driver has now been jailed for 24 weeks and got a driving ban for 3 years. Pathetic.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Leeds-Lorry-driver-is-jailed.6148456.jp

It`s not a very conclusive report, but my reading of it is that the lorry driver made a split second decision to swing left to avoid the roadworks without properly checking the road was clear for him to do so.
Just my opinion though, so I could be wrong.

 

[Tubbs]

Ugh poor woman... This is what annoys me about cycle lanes - on my route, there is one approaching a roundabout and actually goes all the way round the roundabout - it's ridiculous because trucks and buses cross over the cycle lane entering the roundabout ever time. It is encouraging us to undertake.

I now approach the roundabout in the centre of the lane and go round the roundabout in the lane I would take if I was in a car but I get beeped and shouted "get in the cycle lane" almost every time. Yet when I used to take the cycle lane I almost got squashed on numerous occasions! It's hard to believe these lanes were built for inexperienced cyclists.

I never have this problem using roundabouts without cycle lanes, but drivers seem to think that because there is a cycle lane I should use it - even though it is ridiculously unsafe.

I know this wasn't a roundabout - but the same logic applies to junctions.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Witness testimony says that she undertake on the inside of the sort of lorry that we all know has horrific blind spots in merging roadworked traffic immediately by a left hand turn.

Regardless of the actions or wrongs of the lorry driver and its design, that was extremely inexperienced or downright daft on her part.

The more we point fingers at lorries and automatically assume the blame lies with the driver, the more of these sort of terrible accidents we'll have.

At some stage we as cyclists have to take a common sense approach to our own safety as opposed to pedantically or bloody mindedly ploughing on regardless of anything else around us just because theres a cycle lane or because we're going to where we want to and hope for the best/sod the rest.

If you can see a big truck and a left turn how much of a leap of logic is it to think I'll stay behind it at least until the junction has passed.
How desperate can someone be for the 30 seconds or 50 yards they'll gain by riding into what is effectively a killing zone.

We'll happliy slate the impatience and couldn't care less for our safety of the driver that zooms past us at the last minute and left hooks. How is that any different to cyclists that zoom up the inside at the last minute by a left turn junction?

 

[Tubbs]

This was my point in my previous post -with the design of the cycle lanes encouraging us to get to the front - inexperienced cyclists will follow the lane to the front, thinking that is our right! Cycle lanes should end so many yards before junctions and roundabouts so that we merge into the traffic or have completely separate facilities.

 

[shippers]

Yup. Looks like a horrible accident. Maybe the lorry driver couldn't see from his vantage point down to her level, even if he did look.

I got up to 500 miles/month last year. Really didn't want to buy my daughter a bike!

 

[BentMikey]

I would suggest all posting here be quite careful in what you say, it's not uncommon for a family member to google up topics and come on here and read this sort of thing.

This is one reason I *hate* this sort of stupid cycle lane. To be frank, the lorry driver isn't blind and should expect undertaking cyclists when there is a cycle lane to his left. You and I wouldn't go there, but many cyclists would as a result of that cycle lane.

 

[Origamist]

Witness testimony says that she undertake on the inside of the sort of lorry that we all know has horrific blind spots in merging roadworked traffic immediately by a left hand turn.

Regardless of the actions or wrongs of the lorry driver and its design, that was extremely inexperienced or downright daft on her part.

Collision Investigators take a holistic approach when examining a fatal collision - they attempt to consider all of the contributory factors, or what is otherwise known as the "critical combination of circumstances" (crucially however, they do not have the perspective/testimony of the victim). Identifying causal factors is key, but considering them in isolation provides only one piece of the tragic jigsaw.

The more we point fingers at lorries and automatically assume the blame lies with the driver, the more of these sort of terrible accidents we'll have.

Leeds Crown Court found the driver guilty of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving. They did not "automatically assume" anything - evidence was considered and a guilty verdict passed.

At some stage we as cyclists have to take a common sense approach to our own safety as opposed to pedantically or bloody mindedly ploughing on regardless of anything else around us just because theres a cycle lane or because we're going to where we want to and hope for the best/sod the rest.

Many people have very different views on what is a "common sense" approach when it comes to cycling. Some people think it sensible to ride very close to the kerb as it is out of the way of traffic - this is clearly considered common sense by many cyclists; riding further out is counterintuitive.

 

[andyfromotley]

bugger bugger bugger.