From the cab - a HGV drivers view

Just to keep the discussion away from the actual 'rider down' thread as we know that the families often end up here via google…

This was posted by one of our members who drives a tipper truck, hope you don't mind me requoting you

murphy-east-london

      **R.i.p.** 

Hay hi there people, i work for keltbray driving one of there tipper trucks and have been going to the shard site for over a year, i'm also a cyclist and ride to work everyday but i'd like to put it to you from a driers point , first of trucks will never be banded from rush hour times or made to work at nighs because off the cost, also no one wants a big truck passing down back streets but there not braking the law by doing so. also trucks have digital tacos that record speeds and time spent driving, the police have told us the truck was not speeding and the guy on the bike had head phones on and never stopped at the give way at the junction where he was killed, and after viewing the cctv they think he never looked because he didnt hear the truck coming, the first the driver knew off any thing was when the bike hit the front and then it was to late for this poor guy.

Also as a lorry driver i get the hump with bikes when there is a bike lane and bikes dont use them, also when we come to traffic lights how they come up the inside to get to the front!!! when the lights go green as hard as you peddle the truck will be moving faster and having to over take a bike again is puts the bike rider in danger , then you come to another set off lights and the thing starts over again, i think thats why driver dont like cyclist, yeah i think some drivers are dicks and rude but we have to use the roads together, i think if everyone who rides a bike never come up the inside off a truck 90% off deaths wouldnt happen, most do when the truck turns left and this would cut that out, i would invite anyone to spend half a day with me driving and get to see things from where we are and what we can see and get to see what some cyclists are like, i know my grammer and stuff aint the best but i wanted to say something on this case

"the guy on the bike had head phones on and never stopped at the give way at the junction where he was killed, and after viewing the cctv they think he never looked because he didnt hear the truck coming, the first the driver knew off any thing was when the bike hit the front and then it was to late for this poor guy."

Does this also mean that the truck driver wasn't looking?

when the lights go green as hard as you peddle the truck will be moving faster and having to over take a bike again is puts the bike rider in danger , then you come to another set off lights and the thing starts over again.

Pile of absolute bollocks. If you admit bikes catch you up at the next set of lights, what's the fucking point overtaking them in the first place?

I'm not going to get on a high horse. WE do all have to look out for one another.. cyclist need to learn to ride more defensively + safely (out of the inside of lorries) and drivers need to be aware that a cycle lane is only a suggestion by law. Cyclists are not required to remain in them.

On another note..
I actually got yelled at in a threatening manner the other day while riding home with a friend by a van of police. The cop at the window was in his 20s full of self importance and was swearing at me. That is pathetic I understand he is only human but to be in uniform with a van of young bucks theatening me and using agressive language to intimidate me really isn't good police tactic. I am not a cop hater there are several in my family - but I would make an exception for him.

I pointed out that cyclist are allowed two abreast in a lane and must be given the same consideration as any other road user. He told me I was wrong.. and threatened me again.

Blurble blurble blurble is all I got from that guy's post.

Blurble blurble blurble is all I got from that guy's post.

his english isn't great, I agree -

Blurble blurble blurble is all I got from that guy's post.

Blurble blurble blurble is all I got from that guy's post.

Murphy's post highlights why bike lanes are in fact a hindrance rather than a help as they create a your space / my space mentality and are misinterpreted. Personally I am at a loss as to what they achieve other than wasting money.

Does make you think that bike lanes are, at best, counter productive, and likely actually to be part of the problem.

they seem to provide handy parking places out of hours thus rendering them utterly pointless to cyclists.

and during daytime, seem to be quite a nice shortcut for motorcyclists, until they have to stop a few carlengths ahead and block the lane off because of a car that's a bit too close...

The tipper drivers opinion is quite important here- it shows that cyclists are viewed as an impediment to be got past, and that there is a general sense of "get in your bloody lane and out of my way".

The comment from the lorry driver about bike lanes shows that he either hasn't read the HC as it relates to lanes, or doesn't understand it, if he has.

Leaves me feeling a bit 'bike lane? The whole fing road is a fing bike lane!'

Instead of nit picking, perhaps better would be to address the problem?
Perhaps there's a need to better educate the drivers - especially the professional ones (cab, van and HGV drivers)?
Also, the roads are getting more and more busy and some have this attitude, like it's still 60s and there are 3 cars on the road. Of course it's really hard to see everything from the driver's seat in the HGV (or evan a white van - I used to drive Mercedes Sprinter). Even more confusing with motorbikes and mopeds in the bus lane, over- and undertaking you at the same time. They also often miss pedestrians who are too close to the cabin.

A perfect solution would be a cycle superhighway East-West where the whole road or alleyway dedicated to bicycles and bicycles only, like in Holland or Belgium, but of course London is lacking space for separated cycling lanes with shrubs on both sides etc (even then, probable groups of scallies would use them as shortcuts or meeting spaces).

dreaming
yup, wouldn't it be lovely if we woke up one day and the ethos of road space had been reversed
trucks had pissy little lanes where parked cars blocked their path et al......
cyclists......we had the whole road to ourselves.
falls deeper into this awesome dream
We also had a 40mega tonne force field that would kill any left turning truck that dared to undertake us while we couldn't be bothered to look
nope, i've gone too far..... wake up, wake up

Had one of these semi-literates whining at me on Friday. He was desparate to overtake me on Lambeth road, despite complete lack of room.

Finally overtook, then he was in wrong lane so cut back across me without indicating. Then whined at me for 'being in the middle of the road'

Fucking shit ass tipper truck cunts.

Do building site tipper truck drivers get bonuses for extra runs in a day? Might make them drive a bit overly keen to crack on if so. If this is the case, the practice should be banned. If not I'll shut up.

As for the headphones discussion, it's not so much the not being able to hear that worries me, it's the distraction, and that's more about volume (goes for loud music in cars too). I'm sure I remember reading about tests that have shown peoples reactions are far slower when there is loud music. When I listen to loud music I do tend to get a bit lost in it, but that might be just me.

(I have no radio in my car, I like to hear what it is doing - but I drive a 40 year old lump of agricultural machinary that might die at any moment)

Whine away as I've been cycling in to central I find there are alot of cyclists who don't have a clue whats going on around them, even other cyclists. But for balance there are so many car, taxi, LGV and HGV drivers who have no idea what is going on around them.

I have no idea what to do as a cure but your guess is as good as mine.

dreaming
yup, wouldn't it be lovely if we woke up one day and the ethos of road space had been reversed
trucks had pissy little lanes where parked cars blocked their path et al......
cyclists......we had the whole road to ourselves.
falls deeper into this awesome dream
We also had a 40mega tonne force field that would kill any left turning truck that dared to undertake us while we couldn't be bothered to look
nope, i've gone too far..... wake up, wake up

How about we all wave a cheery hello and be nice and courteous to each other?

Now I have a dream

Do building site tipper truck drivers get bonuses for extra runs in a day? Might make them drive a bit overly keen to crack on if so. If this is the case, the practice should be banned. If not I'll shut up.

As for the headphones discussion, it's not so much the not being able to hear that worries me, it's the distraction, and that's more about volume (goes for loud music in cars too). I'm sure I remember reading about tests that have shown peoples reactions are far slower when there is loud music. When I listen to loud music I do tend to get a bit lost in it, but that might be just me.

(I have no radio in my car, I like to hear what it is doing - but I drive a 40 year old lump of agricultural machinary that might die at any moment)

How about looking around and noticing what is around you?

How about we all wave a cheery hello and be nice and courteous to each other?

Now I have a dream

I share your dream too...
i also work hard at it (being nice to truckers, when deserved)

How about looking around and noticing what is around you?

Clearly thats important too but its safer to do that AND listen to the road. Why remove, or lessen, one of your senses by playing music on headphones? It just seems counter intuitive to me.

Thanks to the OP (the tipper truck driver) for posting. Its good to have the other side of the argument.

How about we all wave a cheery hello and be nice and courteous to each other?

Now I have a dream

Last week I was shouted at by some Somali boy racers while crossing the road with the bike (no I don't ride on pedestrian crossings), because they had to stop for me. Wankers.
What was very sad is the fact, that the van driver behind them also was honking, because he was in a hurry. Like walking the bicycle doesn't qualify me as a pedestrian.
The attitudes of some road users are really appalling.

Clearly thats important too but its safer to do that AND listen to the road. Why remove, or lessen, one of your senses by playing music on headphones? It just seems counter intuitive to me.

Thanks to the OP (the tipper truck driver) for posting. Its good to have the other side of the argument.

I have to disagree with you about noise, pedestrians don't make noise in a vehicle the engine and or radio is loud enough to drown out any external noise. You need to see a possible problem as hearing imo is not a replacement for viewing/seeing