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@JackT
Although an occasional visitor to the forum, I've never posted anything. Some of you may know me as I present The Bike Show on ResonanceFM, a radio progamme about...erm...cycling.
Anyway, I've been over at the MT site talking about putting together a very simple note to give out at tomorrow's CM and to fix to as many bikes in London as possible. It's a more conventional approach than the spokecard, but I think they can work together.
Below is the current draft text, largely cribbed from Bill's writings on MT on the issue. I'd be grateful for:
As I'm aiming for CM as the start of this (and that's in less than 24 hours!) time is of the essence.
I sense a lot of motivation to do something on this and I know there are a lot of different courses of action. No one course ought to preclude others, rather they will reinforce eacother.
Chapeau!
Jack
Bicycles and Lorries
In the last week two London cyclists were killed as the result of collisions with lorries, and another was seriously injured. Unofficial figures collected by the London Cycling Campaign suggest that 10 cyclists have died so far this year in London as the result of collisions with lorries. A London Road Safety Unit study of London cyclist fatalities between 1999 & 2002 concluded that of the 49 collisions with lorries, more than half were the result of a left turn by the lorry.
The design of many of London's cycle lanes and advance stop lines (green boxes at traffic lights) lure cyclists into the most dangerous position at junctions: slightly in front of and to the left of lorries. At the two junctions where cyclists were recently killed by a left-turning lorries, Upper Thames Street junction with Queen Street Place, and Camley Street junction with Goods Way, there are advance stop lines, both with feeder cycle lanes from the left.
To make this happen, we need to tell the government officials responsible about the problem and demand that they take action. Write to:
A very good way to find out who your elected representatives are and to write to them is via the non-profit website www.WriteToThem.com
Changing laws, removing dangerous cycle lanes, fitting better mirrors and training lorry drivers will take time. In the short term it is possible to take action to minimise, if not eliminate, the risk of conflict with a lorry. To do this, you need first of all to be aware of where they are, which means keeping an eye, or two if possible, on the road behind you. Second, having located them on the road, you need avoid crossing their path, or potential path. This means staying behind the rear axle when they are moving, if you are behind them, and keeping an eye on them when they are behind you, to make sure that if they over-take that they are giving you enough room.
The place you definitely don’t want to be is alongside, or slightly in front of, their front wheels at any time, but especially at junctions. This is because lorry drivers who have killed cyclists by left-turns, even if they signal, often fail to look in their left-hand mirrors to check for cyclists. Passing lorries and other long vehicles on the inside (left side) increases the risk of not being seen.