8 Wheeler tipper trucks - invitation to all at LFGSS

Long time reader / lurker and london fixed rider here...

I have an 8 wheeler tipper truck coming into work tomorrow for a contractor safety day (BAM at Tottenham Court Road), to show the guys on the site where they can and cant be seen from the cab.

If you havent sat in one of these its pretty sobering to see what the driver can and cant see. Having been knocked off twice this year already im keen to see what im doing wrong.

Open invitation to all on LFGSS, if you want to come get in the cab and see, please do. I will be at Sutton Row on the side of soho square with a big wagon and a driver whose willing to chat about the problems he has with london roads.

If your near by, come along.

Dont ask for Lardy. Kev will do.

Mods, please move or remove if not allowed.

If I can get out of college for long enough I'll be down always wondered what's actually in their vision

If you havent sat in one of these its pretty sobering to see what the driver can and cant see. Having been knocked off twice this year already im keen to see what im doing wrong.

If you're concern about your cycling, I highly recommend Cycle Training as this will make a bigger impact than just sitting in an HGV cabin.

While it's a sobering experience to see the limitation of the cab, it still does not discourage drivers from trying to meet a tight deadline set by construction company.

Come on, Ed, he never claimed it was the best thing that could ever happen.

It's a good initiative, lardy. You're probably aware that TfL have run a lot of these events, too.

PM charlie_lcc about this, I'm sure he'd be interested in hearing about it.

Maybe knowing the limitations of others should be part of cycle training....

Anyways. All welcome.

And training for all would be ace.

I'll PM Charlie.

Ed you are a tit sometimes, having sat in a cab I was chilled to realise just how far ahead I need to be to be seen. I suggest to anyone who has yet to sit in a cab to do so as no amount of training can compensate for actually seeing for yourself the limited visibility up there.

#a coin has two sides

Maybe knowing the limitations of others should be part of cycle training....

It is.

Ed you are a tit sometimes, having sat in a cab I was chilled to realise just how far ahead I need to be to be seen. I suggest to anyone who has yet to sit in a cab to do so as no amount of training can compensate for actually seeing for yourself the limited visibility up there.

#a coin has two sides

I'm not in London, but if I attended I'd make sure I adjusted the mirrors to my eyeline to eliminate any blind spots. The area directly in front of the cab I could check by leaning forwards and checking before I set off at lights.

What kinda times are good?

Nope.

Lhl.

Ill be there all day. 10 till 4.

Please dont think this is an apology for poor driving. It isnt. Personally id like to see where i can be seen and where i cant for myself.

Is cyclists filtering on the inside a significant factor in fatalities? It seems most deaths were caused because the lorry driver rammed the cyclist from behind and killed them, or overtook then immediately turned left, crushing them. That's what happened to Mary Bowers and Svitlana Tereschenko and Catriona Patel and all three lorry drivers were chatting on a mobile phone at the time.

^^ Alrighty then.

Ed you are a tit sometimes, having sat in a cab I was chilled to realise just how far ahead I need to be to be seen.

Fair enough, I'm quite premisstic when it come to HGV generally, it's very much within the driver's ability to control his vehicles, even if you're very experienced, a poor error by a driver can ultimately end someone's life because they did not look properly.

It's still a useful and quick way of helping cyclists understand the risk of undertaking despite what the road lead them to believe.

Is cyclists filtering on the inside a significant factor in fatalities? It seems most deaths were caused because the lorry driver rammed the cyclist from behind and killed them, or overtook then immediately turned left, crushing them. That's what happened to Mary Bowers and Svitlana Tereschenko and Catriona Patel and all three lorry drivers were chatting on a mobile phone at the time.

Largely to society insisting that cyclists should ride as close as possible to the kerbs, and the cycle lane encourage undertaking regardless of the traffic.

Bloody hell you lot, the blokes offering a sit in a lorry if you want it, there's no need to spend all evening bickering.

Edit- and cheers lardy, will be along at some point.

Bloody hell you lot, the blokes offering a sit in a lorry if you want it, there's no need to spend all evening bickering.

^this. It's not a requirement to pop down lads, merely a free service someone is trying to provide to help others gain more knowledge about where they stand/sit on the road. May well whip across at lunch, if nothing more than to honk the horn and see what some cement eejit is seeing when he swings across the front of me.

(I'm not sure you want to see it all over the news that your partner / son / daughter was an idiot doing something utterly insane to the point that they were practically asking for it).

I'd be surprised if the media play down cyclist's poor behaviour, I'd say the opposite was more likely, but to the left of vehicles at junctions is often exactly where the cycle lane is. The cyclist is directed there, or to an ASL ahead of the vehicle. That doesn't mean they're "asking" for anything.

I'd express the point differently- any lorry driver in London who sets off at lights or turns left at a junction without checking his nearside or front of vehicle where it is extremely likely that a cyclist will be, fails to notice them and crushes them to death should go to prison for a long time.

Exactly my sentiment.

I really cannot see the point of this at all. If you are approaching a lorry from behind then I would say that you should be assuming that you can't be seen until the point that you are 20 ft in front of the lorry, or you have made eye contact with the driver.

A perfectly clear comment, yet it's simply perspective no? I assume the truck is simply a hazard. Period. yet sometimes I find myself behind it. I sometimes find that I'm cycling like a dick and it hits me sometimes how big that wheel is.
So If I've been involved in accidents/collisions like many here, and still sometimes cycle like a hoon, imagine others that still feel invincible on the road. It's just another bullet point that might help.
My point is that not everyone will have your mentality of thinking, even if it IS to some degree, the correct one.
I for one, will be in the neighborhood tomorrow and have actually wondered how much a driver can see so will go along.

I maintain that getting in the cab of a lorry is pointless.

The only problem with that is you are wrong. Asking people to imagine blind spots or look at diagrams is nowhere near as effective as getting them to see the road from the driver's seat. It shocks people, it shocks people who think they know, it really shocks people who have never considered the danger before.
But then, what do the people who run these sessions or have seen the effect it has know?

Getting in the cab is not 'pointless'. It's a recognised and very successful way of getting different road users to understand the different perspectives. It is very striking to many people and educates them. lardy is to be commended for offering this opportunity.

This.

Deadlines to Meet LOL. My cycle is faster then my van in london. This happens to me A lot when im at traffic light. Im indicating to turn left and cyclist comes undertakes and decide to sit in my blind spot. Majority of time its lady cyclist. I dont mind cyclist that jump red lights providing its done safely.

You have bad cyclist and even Crazier drivers. Why do drivers drive close to you when theres plenty of space on the road, They Carry on like your not ment to be on the road. Im thinking about cycling on pavement.

has Anyone noticed over the last 10 years they made the roads narrower and pavements wider even thought theres more traffic

Nope