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Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 3:52pm
by Dynamite_funk
Yet a
nother death, this is getting a bit ridiculous (and saddening)
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013 ... well-lorry
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:01pm
by AndyBSG
There's pictures of the aftermath on the Daily Mail web site and, yet again, the lorry involved is a tipper lorry.
Also, rather tellingly, in the pictures show the lorry had executed a left turn at a junction and it's two rear wheels are almost mounting the pavement so it seems he took the corner very tight giving the cyclist nowhere to go when he was trapped.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:06pm
by Dynamite_funk
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:07pm
by Mark1978
Saw the pictures there and wished I hadn't. Deeply troubling
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:13pm
by AndyBSG
Not sure how accurate this is but the following was posted on another site about the recent accidents. I don't know the source but if it's true then it goes to prove that Boris' comments condemning cyclists couldn't actually be further from the truth.
The lorry driver who killed cyclist Catriona Patel was drunk and chatting on a mobile.
The lorry driver who killed Eilidh Cairns had faulty eyesight (the police didn't even bother to discover this until the same driver killed another woman.)
The lorry driver who killed cyclist Brian Dorling turned across his path.
The lorry driver who killed cyclist Svetlana Tereschenko was in an unsafe lorry, failing to indicate and chatting on a mobile. The police decided to charge him with..nothing.
The lorry driver who killed cyclist Deep Lee failed to notice her and smashed into her from behind.
The lorry driver that killed cyclist Andrew McNicoll failed to notice him and side swiped him.
The lorry driver that killed cyclist Daniel Cox was in a truck which did not have the correct mirrors and whose driver had pulled into the ASL on a red light and was indicating in the opposite direction to which he turned.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:16pm
by Mark1978
Which, to me, underlines that need to keep bicycles seperate from lorries at all times.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:41pm
by boliston
You would be surprised by the number of cyclists that claim segregation is *more* dangerous.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:44pm
by RickH
Mark1978 wrote:Which, to me, underlines that need to keep bicycles seperate from lorries at all times.
The simple answer is to get the lorries off the roads. That would separate the two nicely & would inconvenience the smallest percentage of traffic (5% I've seen quoted for HGVs, compared to 60%+ at times for cyclists).
Rick.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:47pm
by AndyBSG
boliston wrote:You would be surprised by the number of cyclists that claim segregation is *more* dangerous.
It's also
probably largely irrelevant.
You can only separate traffic on the actual roads, not at the junctions where, by the very nature of junctions, cyclists and traffic have to come into contact.
All of these accidents have taken place at junctions.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:56pm
by mjr
AndyBSG wrote:You can only separate traffic on the actual roads, not at the junctions where, by the very nature of junctions, cyclists and traffic have to come into contact.
They don't have to mix quite as much as they do at present - you could ban lorries from some lanes and turns, for example, or provide cycle-only light phases - but almost all highways engineers seem determined to pump as many motor vehicles as possible through junctions until something gives. And this month, it seems to be people on bikes that are giving their lives.
It's all about the junctions. That's where the biggest dangers lurk.
Where I feel cycle tracks and lanes help is by marketing cycling to more vulnerable riders. However, there will always be some (large, heavy and/or fast) bikes that will be better off using all-vehicle lanes sometimes, so we must remind drivers they're optional, just like buses aren't obliged to use bus lanes.
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 4:59pm
by boliston
i wonder why more cyclists than pedestrians are being killed by lorries at junctions in london as pedestrians are only separated from traffic *between* junctions?
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 5:22pm
by bertbeerpot
Despite the paper's bad rep the actual article seems clear, informative and neutral ... but ...
.... the comments!!! Unbelievable.
[edit - comma)
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 5:28pm
by geocycle
RickH wrote:Mark1978 wrote:Which, to me, underlines that need to keep bicycles seperate from lorries at all times.
The simple answer is to get the lorries off the roads. That would separate the two nicely & would inconvenience the smallest percentage of traffic (5% I've seen quoted for HGVs, compared to 60%+ at times for cyclists).
Rick.
In the short term you cannot just ban lorries as some are presumably performing a valuable function. How about a daytime ban?
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 6:34pm
by Dynamite_funk
bertbeerpot wrote:Despite the paper's bad rep the actual article seems clear, informative and neutral ... but ...
.... the comments!!! Unbelievable.
[edit - comma)
Yes I noticed that also. I bet they wouldn't say any of that to the victim's family's faces would they
Re: Another fatality in London
Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 6:40pm
by andrewk
This is too much! An almost daily fatality by a large vehicle. A lorry curfew together with more education / publicity to discourage cyclists passing large vehicles on the left would help.
More to the point...what has contributed to cause this cluster of London cycling fatalities (14 YTD of which 6 in the past week and a half).
