2011-10-18 - Rider Down, London Bridge approach

all building sites should have a construction traffic management plan. how far they go to ensuring public safety and good working practise is normally the job of a planning supervisor and HSE auditing process with delivery, disposal, recycling not something i really know best to ask a site foreman, but suspect it includes:-

pedestrian route checklist
vehicle routes
vehicle movement
hiearchy of control measures for reversing vehicles
drivers safe work practices checklist
slinger/banksmen checklist..
etc etc..
the list is long and thorough..

this incident will be logged with the main contractor and Health and Safety Executive
and common practise in the industry

The procurement of materials to site in a safe manner by sub contractors and their transport agents, is I believe the responsibility of the main contractor. therefore if they had a zero accidents boast, it would have ended for that site..

http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/

HGV drivers work to tight deadlines, if the site has restricted access, the pressure is high to ensure that the sequence of those deliveries is quite precise.. no excuse for reckless driving though, he could lose his license and job, then again he might just get a warning and a fine..

lecture over..

My understanding is that the HSE do not get involved in RTCs, if it happens off-site then they are not interested. This means the site itself where the steel was being delivered can still boast "Zero Accidents".

My understanding is that the HSE do not get involved in RTCs, if it happens off-site then they are not interested. This means the site itself where the steel was being delivered can still boast "Zero Accidents".

That's my understanding of it too, but I'm no expert

that's enough, some folks just walk on, no matter what.

Well said. Neil, good man for being on side, and supporting a fellow rider. Just what this community should be about.

My understanding is that the HSE do not get involved in RTCs, if it happens off-site then they are not interested. This means the site itself where the steel was being delivered can still boast "Zero Accidents".

http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/vehiclestrafficmanagement.htm#signs
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/publicprotection.htm

access to/from site is part of the Building Contract.
http://www.atkinson-law.com/library/article.php?id=120

Unless the Police detect that work was a factor in a fatal road accident then any resulting action is contained within the ‘causing death by dangerous driving’ offence created by the Road Traffic Act 1991. With no specific occupational road risk legislation, and no remit for investigating work-related road deaths the HSE remains impotent in such cases. Of course corporate manslaughter legislation might change this in time, but its still early days.

http://www.jehealth.org/blog/the-road-risk-paradox/

I don't know the definitive answer, sorry, I may be wrong.

A chilling set of photos and it's a relief that the cyclist was not seriously injured or killed.

Good on you, Dammit for helping.

If you look under the LGV's sun visor, there does appear to be a class VI front view mirror. Whether it was correctly positioned and/or if the driver checked it, is of course, a different matter.

The little mirror on the top left of the windscreen?

I had a look at that, and whilst obviously I couldn't see it that well from where I was standing it didnt' look like it was positioned in such a way that it would show the area in front of the left had side of the cab.

It looked like it was angled in such a way as to show the area in front of the right hand side, but it would have needed to have been rotated maybe 15-20 degrees to have shown the left.

Fucking hell that was close! My stomach churned at the though of another injury/worse, well done lady your quick thinking is amazing!

@spindrift

as we don't know the final destination for the delivery, maybe I (we) shouldn't speculate about who would be involved/responsible. It should be common practise however for either the employer (client) or the main contractor to provide a route plan to the site, and clear/adequate signage from surrounding roads for everyone concerned.

The little mirror on the top left of the windscreen?

I had a look at that, and whilst obviously I couldn't see it that well from where I was standing it didnt' look like it was positioned in such a way that it would show the area in front of the left had side of the cab.

It looked like it was angled in such a way as to show the area in front of the right hand side, but it would have needed to have been rotated maybe 15-20 degrees to have shown the left.

Yes, that's the class vi mirror. Hopefully, the police will check the position of the mirror relative to the driver's position (eye-height) in the cab to establish its field of view.

If this mirror is correctly set-up (and the correct mirror has been used), it should show what is to the front left of the vehicle.

There's a lot of info here on LGV mirrors and their respective fovs: http://www.truckview.net/TRLreport.pdf

The reason I took the photo of the front of the cab was to try to see if a suitable mirror was there.

Going purely on the drivers reaction to the shouting, he could not see the woman as he pushed her along the road- either that or as he looked around at the people shouting at him he did not check in the mirrors.

Either way, he flat out didn't know that there was a person effectively standing on his bumper.

wow thank goodness she is ok.

all of these incidents are part of a much broader picture. that our government soft pedals on road safety improvements and is laissez faire on road crime.

i estimate that an enforced 20 mph on all roads in all built up areas would reduce annual road deaths from circa 2,500 to circa 1750. a saving of 750 lives per annum. and probably even more people avoiding being seriously injured.

yet the govn is dragging its feet on this issue.

There is no place for vehicles that long on London streets during rush hour.

it's funny how I see so many signs in the countryside said the "HGV is not suitable" on certain road, but perfectly acceptable in London.

Is it my imagination, or is that a left hand drive cab on UK plates?

Glad she's ok and all that, quick thinking saved her life there. Only thing that I'm confused about is how she got herself into that position in the first place.

I go through that junction twice a day on my bike and where she ended up was directly in the path of traffic heading over London Bridge. The lorry was turning right into Tooley St.....I can't see how she got where she was or where she was trying to get to??

incredible actions by the cyclist. how she can have had the presence of mind to do that, maybe clarity brought about by the need to survive.

it's not the length of the vehicle in this case - it's the scale of the cab relative to 'normal' vehicles, the way the windscreen is so much higher than a bike or car or person.

I agree also that the drivers reactions should not be over-interpreted - I was in a bus that was involved in an accident and the driver wouldn't go anywhere near the guy that was hit, she was partly in shock, and panicked about her job and liability etc. also I think terrified of what might have been. it wasn't because of meh.

Glad she's ok and all that, quick thinking saved her life there. Only thing that I'm confused about is how she got herself into that position in the first place.

I go through that junction twice a day on my bike and where she ended up was directly in the path of traffic heading over London Bridge. The lorry was turning right into Tooley St.....I can't see how she got where she was or where she was trying to get to??

I didn't see the start of the accident, but from what she said I believe that she was in this ASL with the lorry behind her, waiting for the lights:

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-K2f1TGUek6s/Tp6KIubIWrI/AAAAAAAABWk/5vXDgF6opdI/s1056/ASL.PNG

When the lights went green the lorry accelerated faster than she did.

I think (warning- supposition!) that the truck would have needed to haev started it's right hand turn from the middle lane, as it would have been too tight for it to have made it (length of trailer etc) from the right hand lane.

The driver was probably focusing on traffic coming up his right hand side, so did not notice the cyclist.

Question up thread was did he have a mate in the cab= no, he was on his own.

Good to see this has been picked up on http://londonist.com/2011/10/amazing-escape-in-cyclistlorry-crash-in-london-bridge.php

laner's link:

Middlebrook Transport Ltd, who operate the lorry, were unwilling to make a statement when we called and wouldn’t confirm the destination of the vehicle, though the large shard-like girders on the back may offer some clues…

Why would they refuse any information? Stating the destination would hardly incriminate anyone, would it?

I'm pretty certain that the right hand turn from that ASL is marked as Buses and station traffic only.

I'm pretty certain that the right hand turn from that ASL is marked as Buses and station traffic only.

It is.

It is.

The first right turn after the lights takes you into Joiner St (which takes you to the front of London Bridge station) and it's for all vehicles. The right turn about 10m further on into Duke St Hill, is for buses only. TFL would not re-design the junction to allow cyclists to make a right turn down Duke St Hill.

Just seen this. Completely mental and such a lucky escape, due to quick thinking! So glad the rider's ok!