Cyclists stay back! stickers

For large lorries with restricted visibility it is appropriate to warn cyclists of the danger. "Stay Back" is not a warning but a command. It implies that the cyclist has responsibilty for avoiding carelessly driven lorries. Also it is totally the wrong message for vans and buses where the driver does not have the same problem seeing the road around him/her.

This is what I wrote to the chair of Transport for London's Cycle Safety Working Group

As you know all the cycling stakeholders in the CSWG are extremely concerned about the proliferation of "Cyclists Stay Back" stickers on vans, buses, cars and lorries. Please could we have this issue as the main point on the agenda for this week's Cycle Safety Working Group.

In February the cycling groups wrote to Leon Daniels, managing director of Surface Transport at TfL, asking for action to remove the inappropriate stickers from vehicles on London roads. He suggested that we raise this issue in the Cycle Safety Working Group. He was not aware that we had already raised this in the December and February meetings.

There are two substantive issues:

1. The use of any such message on a vehicle that is not a large lorry with restricted visibility to the front and side of the cab is wholly inappropriate. It implies as shift of responsibility from the driver of such vehicles to potential victims.
   
2. The wording of the sticker "Cyclists Stay Back" is inappropriate on any vehicle. It implies a prohibition that does not exist in law. It does not convey the essential information about risk occurring during turning movements. It encourages a driver to believe all cyclists legally overtaking are in the wrong and it tends to support lack of care.
   
   

It is clear that these stickers have created a high level of resentment amongst cyclists and in some cases increased abuse aimed at cyclists from other road users. This breakdown in empathy between different road users can only result in an increase in danger to all.

There is more detail in the web links below.

We understand that the use and distribution of these stickers was carried out with best intentions however that should not preclude Transport for London working together with stakeholders to remove them from inappropriate vehicles and restore a meaningful message to the stickers for large HGVs.

In March 2012 we reluctantly agreed to the use of "Stay Back" on the poster campaign to highlight the risk to cyclists from turning lorries. It was explained that a poster message needed to be understood in less than a second. There was also an assurance that this messaging would run in parallel with messages to lorry drivers highlighting their responsibility to watch out for and not run over cyclists. We now accept that is was a mistake to give support to a message which was reduced to such an extent that the meaning was lost and misinterpretation would lead to a breakdown in respect for other road users.

The original wording on stickers for large lorries was "Cyclists. Beware of passing this vehicle on the inside." That text was developed in partnership between TfL and LCC and we encouraged its use because it gives a clear warning to cyclists and also acts as a reminder to drivers about the inherent risks from driving poorly designed vehicles on urban streets.

These weblinks provide a wider perspective of the negative impact of "Stay Back" stickers on the cycling community.

http://lcc.org.uk/articles/london-cyclists-object-to-stay-back-command-on-lorries-and-buses
http://rdrf.org.uk/2014/05/30/transport-for-london-show-contempt-for-danger-reduction-and-cycling/
http://www.ctc.org.uk/news/cycling-and-safety-groups-restate-objections-to-tfl-sticker-on-vans-and-buses
http://road.cc/content/news/120778-are-bad-drivers-using-stay-back%E2%80%99-stickers-excuse
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/jun/12/the-madness-of-stay-back-cyclist-stickers#comment-36897916