Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Another cyclist loses their life. | |
Posted by: | Dan Murphy | |
Date/Time: | 24/06/15 06:07:00 |
I cannot find any exact evidence, but anecdotally it seems that the majority (?) of these tragic deaths are as a result of cyclists pulling alongside large vehicles on the left, at junctions where the vehicle is turning left. I see this all the time. I regularly get the bus to Hammersmith in the morning and as the bus turns right from Glenthorne Road towards the Broadway, I am often astonished at the number of cyclists who creep along on the left hand side of the bus, between the bus and the pavement railings. With a space of perhaps two feet, it only needs the bus to nudge slightly to the left and that cyclist is toast. Similarly at junctions. It only requires a large vehicle to fail to see the cyclist beside him and turn left, and the cyclist is in serious trouble. Of course it would be preferable if the driver could see the cyclist but as we know, often they don't see them. So if I am cycling in London (I don't often cycle on busy roads but sometimes it's unavoidable), I NEVER sit at a junction on the left of any vehicle - no matter how large or small. I know how vulnerable I am. Either I approach the junction in the centre of the road, or I hang well back until any vehicles turning left have moved on. I find this pretty simple, even if it means waiting a few seconds before I can proceed. Whilst I fully agree with moves to improving the visibility for these large vehicles, surely we must also have a campaign to persuade cyclists that they are literally taking their lives in their hands by creeping up on the left hand side of these vehicles at junctions? The risks are clear and massive. I think it wold also be useful if we were told every time there is a tragic fatality, if the cyclist was waiting to the left of the vehicle that ran them over. If it became crystal clear that this was the common factor, then perhaps more cyclists would realise the dangers of doing this. Please don't take this as me "blaming" any cyclist for these accidents, I am just suggesting that we are not making the dangers clear enough. This can be seen by the sheer numbers of cyclists that continue to sit on the left of these large vehicles at junctions, and that is surely an easy thing to correct. |