2008-09-14 - Rider Down/Fatality x 2

Those resposnible for maintaining roads need to spend some money and get work done - at least then its easier to cycle in a staright line.How many pot holes do you see every day?
On top of that the police should actually do something about lorries who pass riders giving them at all of 12" of space -its always waste/aggregate/skip wagons isnt it?
It would be good to see the cctv cameras actually put to good use for this

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Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make.

The trouble is, even if these guys paid attention to the Highway Code which of course most of them don't, it doesn't sound like the guy in the second truck would even have been able to see that he was overtaking a cyclist to leave room. Driving nose-to-tail behind a colleague at speed would not allow the driver of the second truck to see anything approaching down the left side of the road i.e. it is not an accident it is negligent driving and entirely the truck drivers fault.

I have just sent this to "London Concrete".

Dear Sir/Madam

This morning at approximately 8h45 at the end of Cedars Road at the junction to Queenstown Road, one of your lorries stopped deliberately on the Advanced Stop Line which is the space ahead of a light to help cyclists move safely away from the traffic at a junction. There was no traffic and the light had been red for a while and the driver should have stopped before the Advanced Stop line. Approximately 8 cyclists were at that junction and found themselves next to the truck instead of ahead. I also think he turned left or right but had not indicated (I went ahead and I do not think that he followed).

As you may know 9 cyclists have died in London this year because of collision with lorries and I trust your company takes road safety seriously and ensures that your drivers fully understand the rules of the roads as regard to cyclists.

nice work VV

@ VeeVee +1 nice work

Yep, I think this is a good idea. I'm going to start doing this. +1

While talking of the Advanced Line, what are the rules regarding motobikes and scooters?

In answer to my own question:

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Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic.** Motorists, including motorcyclists**, MUST stop at the first white line reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction ahead is blocked. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the time that the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second white line, even if your vehicle is in the marked area. Allow cyclists time and space to move off when the green signal shows.
[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10, 36(1) & 43(2)]

I have just sent this to "London Concrete".

Dear Sir/Madam

This morning at approximately 8h45 at the end of Cedars Road at the junction to Queenstown Road, one of your lorries stopped deliberately on the Advanced Stop Line which is the space ahead of a light to help cyclists move safely away from the traffic at a junction. There was no traffic and the light had been red for a while and the driver should have stopped before the Advanced Stop line. Approximately 8 cyclists were at that junction and found themselves next to the truck instead of ahead. I also think he turned left or right but had not indicated (I went ahead and I do not think that he followed).

As you may know 9 cyclists have died in London this year because of collision with lorries and I trust your company takes road safety seriously and ensures that your drivers fully understand the rules of the roads as regard to cyclists.

u seriously think that someone will actually read this and think, oh yeah she's right, lets do something about.

A little bit off subject.... but I've had a lot of pedestrians just jumping out onto Zebra crossings without checking if anything is coming, or getting shirty when I don't slam on the anchors and let them go... here's what the highway code says..

19

Zebra crossings. Give traffic plenty of time to see you and to stop before you start to cross. Vehicles will need more time when the road is slippery. Wait until traffic has stopped from both directions or the road is clear before crossing. Remember that traffic does not have to stop until someone has moved onto the crossing. Keep looking both ways, and listening, in case a driver or rider has not seen you and attempts to overtake a vehicle that has stopped.

@ Dogs "u seriously think that someone will actually read this and think, oh yeah she's right, lets do something about."

better than doing Jack shit…

http://www.singletrackworld.com/article.php?sid=1219

Do the sites of these 9 deaths have a ghost bikes?

u seriously think that someone will actually read this and think, oh yeah she's right, lets do something about.

well you did....

I'm up for doing something.

Would be worth getting Bill's input tho - I think he is a lot further down the path we are about to embark on. Might be more productive to get involved with whatever he's been doing.

First step is the old classic of write letter(s) to your mp out lining the problem clearly and possible solutions. May be even go along to their surgery time and bash some ears get them to raise the issue in parliament. Not saying in the current political enviroment it will be well heard but still..

I think the road surface issue is a really big deal.

We should all be reporting holes on http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/report

I do regularly. But there are loads more on my regular routes that I haven't reported. I am thinking of starting to submit photo evidence too, as one I reported was half-fixed but is still hazardous as it was a whole series of ridges and drops, some of which remain, at Holborn Circus.

Everyone report a hole or hazard! I reckon ironwork that takes up the whole cycle lane should be complained about. Maybe we could even report entire cycle lanes as hazardous? I nearly got turned into on the New Cavendish street segregated lane today. They're shit.

I think the road surface issue is a really big deal.

We should all be reporting holes on http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/report

I do regularly. But there are loads more on my regular routes that I haven't reported. I am thinking of starting to submit photo evidence too, as one I reported was half-fixed but is still hazardous as it was a whole series of ridges and drops, some of which remain, at Holborn Circus.

Everyone report a hole or hazard! I reckon ironwork that takes up the whole cycle lane should be complained about. Maybe we could even report entire cycle lanes as hazardous? I nearly got turned into on the New Cavendish street segregated lane today. They're shit.

I need to take a couple of days of work to cover the part of my route from Hammersmith to Kensington High Street, my wrists take a daily beating.

yep, me too. One hole at a time. Work out which are the worst, say, five hazards, and then move on to the next. Something was actually done, eventually, about some of the reports I have made.

Fair Do's Skully,

I have a few particularly nasty ones in mind.

So sad. Be safe