2015-06-22 - Rider Down/Fatality, Bank Junction, City of London

I do wonder to what depth the link between the broken sensors and an expectation by the driver for the sensors to work and alert them rather than they look at mirrors will be explored.

I don't know much about that, but I suspect that would be a matter for any kind of re-opened case against the driver and his company, rather than for the inquest. The inquest is supposed to make findings of fact, I think, and I doubt that a finding of fact can be made on that. I may well be wrong. It would certainly be interesting.

That photo man...

Those comments from the collision investigator...

Jesus Christ, that photo, she's right in the front of the damn tipper.

The report I read in the past was that it implies she was on the inside, not in front.

I think she was, she then moved to go forward and the truck moved a bit later (they are slow to start and the guy seems to have given the riders in front a head start). She was too slow.

The infrastructure should not punish mistakes like this with death.

I always let the truck go ahead before making a move in cases like this and I actually stop behind them (buses or lorries, but lorries in particular as buses' drivers are lower seated and can see better) exactly to avoid situations like these.

Be always careful out there people, I can't stop to think of ALL the dangerous riding many people do when cycling, squeezing between lorries/buses/cabs even when it's not safe to do so (I, perhaps wrongly, deem it 'safe' only when I KNOW that the light ahead is gonna stay red [i.e. it just switched to red or I know the junction very well to know the timings]) and only then I try to squeeze in to get in front and only if there's plenty of space to do so.

It is still unsafe and I warn people against it, but at times I feel it safe to do. But that's it, never EVER I ride on the left side of a bus or truck UNLESS I know 100% that they are going to stay put because of a red light.

Avoidable tragedy, it makes me very sad and that picture is terrifying to see, not per se, but for what your brain can imagine happens shortly after :(

If the 2 motorcyclist were not taking space in the cycle advance stop area this girls would still be with us. Before we get better infrastructure can please monitor these better. The whole square mile is the most cctved area in.the world allegedly. The price to pay is too much. Rip

This is an update from Tao Ying's lawyers on further legal action:

https://www.leighday.co.uk/News/News-2016/July-2016/Leigh-Day-to-challenge-decision-not-to-prosecute-l

A horrible incident but a lot of knowledgeable lawyers involved. Hopefully they'll be able to use their professional knowledge for justice.

The findings of the investigating policeman seem to say that if you're not fast enough off the line to dodge lorries then you're fair game to be run over and that because London is really busy drivers can run over the odd cyclist here and there, as they can't be expected to see them all with everything else that's going on.

Properly odd or am I just a biased bike rider?

Pretty much the only part of modern life where such a lackadaisical attitude to safety is seen as 'okay'. It is properly odd. But society is so biased towards driving that I'm not confident a jury would necessarily convict in this case despite the evidence.

Very unacceptable because he is sprouting his opinion.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/traffic-faces-ban-from-notorious-bank-junction-after-cyclist-killed-a3410521.html

The City of London Corporation today confirmed that it planned to press ahead with an 18-month trial of a 7am to 7pm ban at Bank from April in an attempt to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

A total of 34 cyclists and 31 pedestrians were injured in the 7am-7pm period between 2011 and last year and City experts predict the move could cut casualties by 50 to 60 per cent.

So 65 injuries have been caused by traffic in that time period. And they think that by removing traffic in that period, they'll cut casualties in half? How are 30-odd people going to be injured by lorries that aren't there?

Still gonna be open to buses init?

Bus casualties up every year since 2012.

A section of road with buses flying through without congestion of other traffic? I fear TfL drag racing.

I also posted this in the Centralised discussion space thread, which is a better place to have this discussion. I only posted it here because it made reference to Tao Ying.