Recent HGV/cyclist accidents

I'll let that comment speak for itself.

Well, we can encourage cycling: help people to learn how to cycle safely, and make every effort to make roads safer for cyclists so that the number of people on bikes increases.

Or, we can-- like you-- insist that the roads are for lorries and speed-limit breakers, and discourage and/or forbid any other would-be cyclists from a chance to share the roads.

Where did I say that? Did you read everything I said, or just the bits that pissed you off? I talked about ways of educating cyclists.

I don't encourage speed limit breaking, I don't encourage dangerous driving, I encourage cycling. I'm just a realist here and standing back and pinning the blame on everyone else isn't helping.

I'm not talking about long term goals, I'm talking about changes we can try and make in the coming weeks and months. If you're run over by a car what's the first thing you do to try and stop it happening again? Become a more observant cyclist or campaign for better driving?

Perhaps I'm being a pessimist but as the interest in cycling in the capital increases at the current rate I can only see more accidents. Nobody here wants to see that. Nobody at all. I am not suggesting we don't try and educate drivers, yes, do that, more and more. But at the same time educate ourselves, and do that first.

It doesn't matter how good and safe a rider you are there's always room for improvement. Just on Wednesday I thought I had been doing well recently, no near misses, nothing to cause me to shout at drivers and then right at the last second, a boy racer in a Clio doing about 60mph in a 30mph zone came from the wrong side of the road, missed me by inches to turn left in front of me. I didn't even have time to react, I only didn't crash into him because, dare I say it, either he was an exceptional driver or he got very fucking lucky. Now I did nothing wrong, should I get on tree tops and sing about speeding drivers and being cut up? Or should I have checked one last time as I approached the junction for anything at all that could have harmed me. I think the latter will help me stay alive, the former is something to campaign on over a long period.

Just like HGV drivers are expected to look absolutely everywhere at every millisecond of the time behind the wheel, so should we. Of course there are times when incidents are unavoidable due to driver error, and the same applies to cyclists. How would we feel if instead of all of us shouting about cycle training it was HGV drivers. Imagine a Critical Mass of lorries? It would be mayhem.

Edit: Just adding, when it is driver error then they should be tried seriously, not some stupid slap on the wrist. Where it is proved that the driver failed to drive in a safe manner then he or she should be punished to the full extent of the law.