Negative BBC Radio Segment on Cycling

[BentMikey]

I think there are two ways of reading that incident - one that the cyclist did indeed cut in front of the HGV in a way that the driver couldn't avoid easily. OTOH perhaps the lorry driver was overtaking rashly and left hooked him at a roundabout?

 

[yello]

We don't know enough to say for sure now do we?

The cyclist might have been staying left on the roundabout even though turning right - as has often been erroneously cited as the correct course of action (didn't the proposed new HC suggest this prior to review???).

My feeling is that the truck driver should have been making allowances and been giving the cyclist plenty of room. He had after all seen them well in advance so knew it was something to deal with. Roundabouts are dangerous places; people don't always indicate and their lane control can be suspect. The truck driver - any driver for that matter - should allow for that. If the cyclist chooses to act like a numpty then the truck driver's got it covered.

Whether the cyclist is wearing wrap around glasses (is that wrong now too?!!) and/or headphones is irrelevant really. If anything, if the truck driver had noticed that too then perhaps he should have been even more cautious!

 

[Cab]

Lorry going straight on, cyclist turning right, lorry tries to overtake cyclist on a roundabout. Lorry going to fast for the conditions, failing to anticipate. Failing to allow. Which amounts to attemptered frickingmerder in my book. You simply can't punish people with the threat of serious injury or death because they didn't indicate properly.

Its that simple. You don't overtake a vehicle at the entrance to a roundabout.

 

[Cab]

You failed to mention the cyclist actually looking behind him to check? I thought this would have been a very simple thing to do. Truck or no truck if I'm turning right on a roundabout or junction I look over my right shoulder. Aptly named ''lifesaver'' if riding on a mbike. Apply this to a pushbike as well.

User3143 is taking the mickey. Its what he does. Don't feed his trolling.

He will now respond abusively in this thread, to me. Ignore him.

 

[Cab]

Sorry to post this as a newbie on cyclechat, but this has so incensed me I had to raise it here.

Don't apologise, its a fine first post!

I wonder...

So many complaint campaigns aimed at the BBC at the moment, we really need to get this right if we're going to have an impact. Remind me, which radio station?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

"I saw this cyclist in front of me, about 100yds, and I caught up with him at the roundabout. I started to proceed over the roundabout and nearly got completed when the cyclist just decided to turn right.

Don't any of you people watch CSI?

Lorry going straight on, cyclist turning right, lorry tries to overtake cyclist on a roundabout. Lorry going to fast for the conditions, failing to anticipate. Failing to allow. Which amounts to attemptered frickingmerder in my book. You simply can't punish people with the threat of serious injury or death because they didn't indicate properly.

Or possibly ... cyclist on outside of roundabout, lorry going straight on, cyclist deciding at the last minute without warning to veer off to the right. We don't know.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I agree with that.

The details of the cycle / HGV incident aside it is the tone that was set that is important to me. It adds to the general background hub-hub of cyclists getting in the way of drivers' perceived primary rights and that Clarkson territory of "joking" about driving into cyclists.

Absolutely, and it's not a huge step from there to the kind of attitude Logan 5 encountered from the passengers on that bus.

 

[OldSkoolKona]

The broadcast was on BBC Radio London on the breakfast show. I can understand how my transcript of what was said can potentially be interpreted in several ways, but I do recommend you listen to the show in the link in the original post as you'll get a feel for the tone of what she said, something you can't get across in the transcript. Also, remember we only hear one side of the story of the roundabout incident.

My main issue though wasn't with the fact she said what she said (frustrating though it is), but that it then belittled a good attempt by the radio station to raise awareness on safety around HGVs.

I complained through the online complaints procedure - http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complaints_stage1.shtml

Perhaps a direct email would be better?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I agree with that.

The details of the cycle / HGV incident aside it is the tone that was set that is important to me. It adds to the general background hub-hub of cyclists getting in the way of drivers' perceived primary rights and that Clarkson territory of "joking" about driving into cyclists.

Yes, fair point.

 

[gavintc]

The driver is going straight on, the cyclist is turning right. If the cyclist is on the nearside of the vehicle, then the cyclist is in the wrong lane for starters. All the cyclist needed to do was check behind him for the truck before going across.

However, this wrong position is exactly what is recommended in the HC. I for one always use roundabouts in the 'correct' lanes. And I do not look behind on a roundabout, I look back before I move out into the outside lane before entering roundabout. I often look left to make sure i am not being undertaken, but my rule is dominate the road - middle of lane and ride fast.

 

[yello]

However, this wrong position is exactly what is recommended in the HC.

I had a feeling it was.

 

[bryce]

This is very true, and I do believe this was the point the presenter was getting at, albeit in a bit of a stupid way.

Remember that many listeners to BBC London are professional cab/ lorry drivers. Can't blame the presenter for saying what her audience want to hear or being influenced by their views. I imagine she gets many many calls from cab drivers slagging off cyclists.

 

[magnatom]

FFS, some people really have not got a clue and this is getting very tiresome, nice cut & paste of the highway code lurker, very good.

Try and picture it if you will....truck enters onto roundabout after cyclist is already on the roundabout. Now I don't know about you lot...hmmm...but if I was turning right...I would look over my right shoulder? But would I....Yes...yes, I think I would, no really I would. Low and behold a big truck is there, what would you do, or I do. I certainly would not cut across the front of the truck.

Lee, you can't possibly say that BentMikey comes across as sanctimonious and patronising and yet you post this. This is incredibly sanctimonious!

 

[magnatom]

This was in reference to lurker, I would have quoted him but they would mean including all that HC drivel in my post.

Yes I know it was, but you suggested that you didn't like BM because he was sanctimonious and patronising to other members. I'm just suggesting that your post came across the same way towards Lurker. Pot, kettle, black?

 

[magnatom]

I'll give people a bit of slack Mag, but if they come back at me with a load of HC rubbish (which is what some of it is) then I will let rip. Look at the previous posts between me and lurker. If that makes me a w@nker so be it, but if it makes lurker look again at my post and run the situation through his head of said roundabout and truck and what the cyclist did/should have done, then I think this is a good thing.

I'm certainly not saying your anything! You just don't need to get aggressive if you disagree with someones post, that's all. Anyway, I'm certainly not the forum police, just trying to keep it friendly ......