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@dulwichrider
This just got sent to J & M Crane & Transport Ltd of Gravesend Kent
Re: driver behaviour
Hello, I would like to alert one of your drivers to appropriate behaviour when riding close to cyclists in city streets.
Yesterday (12 April) I was cycling south over Blackfriars Bridge alongside one of your lorries at around 6pm. It was carrying a large portakabin-type building on the back and the first part of the registration was J18 ...
Given the time of day, I was travelling around the same speed or faster than the flow of traffic but twice your lorry aggressively overtook me, with a beep of the horn to 'clear me out of the way' and then speeding past in close proximity. The second time he did this I was travelling around 23-25 mph (I race bikes) and your lorry went past me at a considerable speed.
As I hope you are aware, two cyclists have recently died on London streets through collisions with HGVs. I do not say this to apportion blame in those circumstances but to highlight the need for both cyclists and HGV drivers to take exceptional care on London's roads. The behaviour of your driver yesterday, particularly given the very large load he was carrying, seemed to fall short of this standard.
The driver may see events in a different way, and may believe that using the horn was a safety measure. However, in my view, as an experienced cyclist, the driver's aggressive driving tactics and high speed would suggest otherwise. I do not currently plan to take this matter further, but I would remind you the Metropolitan Police have recently set up an alerting service for cases such as this.
Regards,