Fabulous victim blaming by London Fire Brigade.

[Nigel-YZ1]

I'm amazed they're not saying that a helmet would have helped defend against catalytic converter burns!

 

[Boris Bajic]

I know two retained firemen (rural area). Both are very keen cyclists and have been from their teenage years.

My impression is that many firemen are cyclists.

As to the offer to let cyclists see the view from the cab of a truck, that is a very sound move. We all see many urban cyclists who appear (through their actions) quite unaware of the blindspots and the dangers of riding close to HGVs.

There are bad truck drivers, but there are incautious and ignorant cyclists too. We all see them.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My vehicle is badly designed with many blind spots. I know this, addressing it is relatively easy, but I can't be arsed to change the mirrors.

So you better watch out when riding around me. Cos I am mighty and own the road and you're just a puny cyclist.

Presumably cyclists who get doored also only have themselves to blame too?

 

[Cyclopathic]

The comments are deceptively pernicious and will contribute to peoples attitude that it is cyclists who are the main problem. No doubt there are cyclists around who take chances and need to educate themselves about safe road use but there is no indication here that the cyclist had done anything at all wrong. People hear this sort of thing coming from someone they expect to be an authority on the matter and it fuels all of their misconceptions about the relative responsibilities of road users.
I think his comments here are hugely irresponsible and that he should be spoken to about it.

 

[Leodis]

The problem is the vast number of cyclists who have taken to our roads with little or no understanding of cycle craft. We cannot just pass all the blame to motorists, we have to accept responsibility for our own actions as well.

 

[MarkF]

You "see" what you want to in that report, I didn't see anything to offend me, a daily commuter.

“What they do is tuck themselves between the 150mm gap of the curb and lorry and really get themselves into places they just should not be. They are not respecting the road are getting themselves into dangerous positions. If there is a small gap just stay back.”

That is true, I see it every morning and every night. In Leeds/Bradford showing a small gap down the side of a big truck to a cyclist is like showing a small gap to a ferret.

 

[glenn forger]

What incidents is he referring to, and what do they have to do with the story of the man hit and burned by a car?

 

[glenn forger]

The problem is the vast number of cyclists who have taken to our roads with little or no understanding of cycle craft. We cannot just pass all the blame to motorists, we have to accept responsibility for our own actions as well.

That is not a significant problem at all, mistakes or risk-taking by inexperienced cyclists is simply not a significant causal factor in rtcs..

 

[MarkF]

What incidents is he referring to, and what do they have to do with the story of the man hit and burned by a car?

Actually, I thought the same thing, but, I am happy to have "advice" like that as visible as possible because a good % of commuters (not avid cyclists) do not realise the dangers.

 

[glenn forger]

If it turns out the driver of the Nissan was drunk or on the phone that article will look even odder.

 

[MarkF]

Even though it reinforces the erroneous belief that cyclists are usually responsible for the accidents they are involved in?

I didn't read it that way Adrian, the article described something (accurately) that I see every day and ended with "If there is a small gap just stay back”. I wish every commuter could read that and act on it.

 

[glenn forger]

The fire brigade bloke, if he really said that, claims there's a "big problem" with cyclists. He doesn't say what he means apart from cyclists riding up the side of lorries, when the reality is that usually the driver fails to notice the cyclist who has done nothing wrong. It's a shame the fireman wasn't clearer so we know exactly what he's claiming.

 

[GrasB]

The thing that really annoys me when seeing articles like that is when cyclists behaviour is targeted there's virtually no impact on the incident rates. When ever the enforcing of the motoring laws is enhanced you see a fall in road casualties across the board.

 

[SquareDaff]

As the owner of a car and bike licence, I fail to see how taking another "test" for a push bike will help me.

 

[glenn forger]

This is why it is so incredibly frustrating when people imply cyclists are at fault:

Catriona Patel, an experienced commuter cyclist, was killed in the Monday morning rush hour in June 2009. Pulling away from the Advanced Stop Line as the lights turned green outside Oval Station, a 32-tonne tipper lorry driven by Dennis Putz accelerated into her. Witnesses had to bang on the side of the truck before the oblivious Putz stopped. Putz was a serial dangerous driver, was hung-over — 40% over the limit — and talking on his mobile phone. He denied a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, but was sentenced to 7 years for it.

Brian Dorling, an experienced commuter cyclist and motorcyclist, was killed in the morning rush hour in October last year. A tipper truck turned across his path at the Bow Intersection. They had to use his dental records to identify him.

Deep Lee was struck by a lorry from behind as the lights turned green; Svitlana Tereschenko was killed by a tipper truck whose distracted driver failed to indicate before turning and driving over her. Daniel Cox was run over by a truck which did not have the correct mirrors and whose driver had pulled into the ASL on a red light and was indicating in the opposite direction to which he turned.


Try telling Ian McNicoll that his son Andrew, well versed in cyclecraft as a road and commuter cyclist, should have known better than to throw himself under the wheels of the articulated lorry that side-swiped while overtaking him in Edinburgh.

Try telling Debbie Dorling that her cycle and motorcycle-trained husband should have behaved differently at Bow.

Try telling Allister Carey that the death of his daughter Eleanor under the wheels of a lorry in Tower Bridge Road was her own fault.

The cycling “community” in this country might not always agree about the most appropriate or desirable method for reducing exposure to danger and its role as a barrier to cycling, but I think at least one thing can unite us: anyone who says that the problem here is all cyclists’ own fault for throwing themselves under the wheels of trucks, is an peanut who can keep his discredited half-baked ideas to himself.
http://waronthemotorist.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/john-forester-is-an-peanut/#comments