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Caravan lorry close miss (YouTube user jthefishy)Video: Caravan firm "horrified" after cyclist suffers shocking near-miss
A manager at a Gloucestershire company has said he is “horrified” at a video showing one of its vehicles speeding past a cyclist on the A59 at Samlesbury, Lancashire with barely inches to spare. The company, Forest of Dean Caravans, had been alerted to the video by a Twitter user who had seen it. The cyclist involved has told road.cc he believes the close pass was not only dangerous, but also deliberate.
The video, filmed at around 7.10am on Wednesday and posted to YouTube by user jthefishy, shows just how close the flatbed lorry, carrying one caravan and towing another, came to striking the cyclist. The potential consequences of that are obvious.
It’s clear the driver of the lorry saw the cyclist – the horn was sounded loudly and at length as the vehicle came up behind the rider, alarming enough in itself.
If you watch the video at work, you may wish to turn the sound down – there’s some (understandably) strong language.
In subtitles to the YouTube video, jthefishy said: “There is plenty of space and no oncoming cars etc. Other cars and wagons give me loads of space. They use the centre of the road to give me loads of space.”
He added: “Unfortunately I cannot work out his registration or company name. If anyone can help please do.”
The vehicle was quickly identified as belonging to Forest of Dean Caravans, based in Parkend, Gloucestershire.
The cyclist added: “There is an unsuitable cycle track at the side of the road which is a shared one with no rights of way and loads of lamp posts and signs in the middle of it! That is probably why he had a problem.”
This afternoon, road.cc spoke to the cyclist, named Jon, who works near the location where the close pass took place.
He told us: “When I heard the horn, I thought it was one of my mates, but when it continued I knew it wasn’t.”
Alerted by the noise to the fact something was going on, he didn’t look over his shoulder – something that could have taken him off his line – but kept riding straight on.
As the lorry went past, Jon was getting ready to put his hand out to gesticulate – luckily, though, he didn’t do that before the caravan being towed passed him.
“I’m a big bloke,” said Jon. “If it had been someone lighter, or not so good at holding their line, it could have been fatal.”
He described the driver as a “flaming idiot,” and said “I’d like to see him get points on his licence and severely reprimanded at work.”
But he said that so long as this was an isolated incident rather than repeat behaviour, he wouldn’t want to see the driver lose his job.
“I make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, and we need tolerance on the roads,” he went on.
“But I would like to see him get prosecuted, because it was dangerous and it was deliberate,” added Jon, who believes the driver’s action was as a result of him not using the cycle path.
Jon has contacted Lancashire Constabulary to report the incident, but hasn’t heard back from them yet.
It’s the second time he’s contacted police over video footage of bad driving, and he told us on the previous occasion they did speak to the driver involved.
Mike Stead, who is on Twitter as @tweetymike, posted a message to the social network in which he described the incident as “borderline attempted murder.”
He took it upon himself to contact Forest of Dean Caravans and spoke to its transport manager, Mark Turley, who said he was “horrified” at the footage in the video.
Mr Turley added that “disciplinary action” would be taken against the driver when he returned and that the company would co-operate in any police investigation.
The family-owned firm has said that it is preparing a statement to reassure cyclists about the action it is taking.
We asked Mike why he felt compelled to act. He told us: "Social media can be great for raising awareness, but ranting/retweeting don't change much.
“Engaging with firms, helping them understand the depth of feeling and suggesting how to progress is the way to go.
“They're more likely to follow through and change or enforce policy and practice," he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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127 comments
If I went around the supermarket swinging a baseball bat inches from people's heads i'd be arrested in seconds. What's the difference??
I'm a hgv 1 driver as well as a cyclist and there is no excuses for that kind of driving. Quite obviously done on purpose, thank god you didn't turn around when he sounded his horn. That stretch of road is wide enough to pass a cyclist an leave a four foot gap. Your lucky your an experienced cyclist and held your line
If you think four feet is sufficient enough gap between a human being and a several tonne vehicle please think again because it is not.
In France there is a mandatory minimum gap to respect when overtaking cyclists.
It is 1 metre in towns and 1.5 metres outside of towns.
Almost all French and continental drivers respect this (the worst "non-respecters" are GB registered vehicles !).
If that was brought in here obviously there would be those who wouldn't respect it, but the majority would, and it would give a lesson to everyone on the vulnerability of cyclists.
It would also give a base for prosecutions of unsafe driving.
Of course, one cannot have faith in everyone's good nature, and it would only be effective if prosecutions were actually made.
It would also be one less excuse for the police to avoid prosecutions.
Reference the lead video.
This vehicle was almost certainly delivering to Reads of Blackburn. They are main dealers for Bailey of Bristol caravans.
They are only a relatively short distance further along the A59. They can be found at :-
Address: Croft Head Rd, Whitebirk Industrial Estate, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 5UE
Phone:01254 694313
This driver clearly needs removing from the roads and very probably from The Gene Pool.
This clearly appeared to be a deliberate attempt at scaring the S**t out of the cyclist and it came rather close to being another cyclist downed by an idiot.
This driver wants their license removing and an enforced driving test before any risk of them ever getting behind a wheel again.
I would also suggest that they should loose their job on the grounds of Gross Misconduct. In industry that is an Immediately Sack-able Offence.
Reference the lead video.
This vehicle was almost certainly delivering to Reads of Blackburn. They are main dealers for Bailey of Bristol caravans.
They are only a relatively short distance further along the A59. They can be found at :-
Address: Croft Head Rd, Whitebirk Industrial Estate, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 5UE
Phone:01254 694313
This driver clearly needs removing from the roads and very probably from The Gene Pool.
This clearly appeared to be a deliberate attempt at scaring the S**t out of the cyclist and it came rather close to being another cyclist downed by an idiot.
This driver wants their license removing and an enforced driving test before any risk of them ever getting behind a wheel again.
I would also suggest that they should loose their job on the grounds of Gross Misconduct. In industry that is an Immediately Sack-able Offence.
Makes me sick just watching
the drivers intent is all too clear
another label for "punishment pass" is "cowards pass" would be great if this phrase came into common usage
a cyclist with less experience would not be around to post the video
lol, you sympathise with four feet being sufficient? wow just wow.
Weren't you the person who said they would hit a rider for riding through a red light? If so it speaks volumes.
The cycling community need to pressure the caravan company to name, shame, and sack this guy. Get him off the roads. If the company aren't prepared to sack him for his gross misconduct and endangering someone's life, then this video needs to go viral with the name of the company plastered all over it.
We DO have some power. The internet gives us that power. Use it.
Great stuff, guys... argue amongst yourselves on forums about politics whilst people are getting fucking murdered on the roads by maniacs.
The incident is an example of appalling driving, but personally I would still have been making some use of the bike lane. I figure it is better to be a few inches from a stationary light post than a few inches from a moving truck.
The other thing is: did he have earphones in? If I hear a large engine coming behind me and I can move left, I do. Yes, I know, shouldn't have to etc etc. But it is better to give a bit and alive than be asserting your right, and dead.
None of this excuses the conduct of the driver, which is criminal.
That wasn't a clear miss it was attempted murder! The driver clearly also cut in as he passes. As the cyclists says another cyclists, perhaps less experienced could easily have been pulled under the trailing caravan.
Totally frightening, sickening. The driver must be made an example of, to save lives of the next unfortunate cyclist who this happens to.
Police must take it serious as must the Transport manager of the company Mark Turley - would you buy anything from this company if its not dealt with appropriately?
The company should be able to fire the driver for gross misconduct by way of bringing the company into disrepute.
So no HR guff required, the fact he done it in a sign written vehicle makes it easy to bullet the guy.
Blimey. That is really worrying. I think I would have looked over my right shoulder and drifted into the vehicles path
'a smelly, marginal communist who chooses to use a child's toy as his means of transport'.
source for this quote?
When daily and i mean daily direct action is taken will anything change, it has to be every single day and cause "traffic" problems for *anything* to change and even then they will either probably arrest you on some bullshit charge or bump you off most likely to continue the status quo.
As for the pco, just ask cyclegaz about them, complete waste of time judging from their responses i've seen.
You all know a lot of taxi drivers are ex police officers right?
I have had lorries go past at speed and four foot has been fine, unlike the commuters, I ride for pleasure/sport and use open roads such as 60mph rated roads and if a vehicle leaves four foot I'm happy. I am also confident enough in my cycling to know I won't wobble and fall underneath its wheels. I also fly downhills on a mountain with no gap at all in places such as Swinley Forest or the Forest or the Forest of Dean. So yeah four is enough for a competent cyclist. Next I'm going to hear big vehicles go faster in cities than they do on open roads I suppose.
This bloke should lose his job and be dealt with harshly by the Police but some of you seem to want the earth with it. You moan about a four foot gap but I bet you would still moan if it was five.
As well as motorised vehicles, you mean?
And no. The speed limit applies to motorised vehicles only. Not to bicycles.
I highly doubt that he put any driver at risk. Any driver operating their vehicle safely, that is.
Was that aimed at me, Yorkshire?
FWIW, I'm a firm believer in "in cab" video and telemetric recorders, not only to protect hgv drivers against malicious claims from the cash for crash merchants who see lorries as an easy target, but also to help weed out drivers whose attitude and general level of skill falls short of the standards expected. Lots of firms do this already, whether the driver is aware of it or not.
With regards to this particular incident, as with all incidents, if premeditation can be proved then the driver could, and frankly should, receive a custodial sentence. Personally, in cases where guilt can be proved, I think it's much safer to permanently revoke someone's licence for the common good.
But, and it is a big but....
Cyclists who are passed this close are often the victims of aggressive and unpredictable drivers who, for whatever reason, have decided they just don't like cyclists.
So we should all recognise the need to keep calm, avoid being "tribal", and generally try to come across as reasonable people who just happen to ride bikes sometimes. Because the press are only too keen to give the cycling community some adverse publicity. Those South African riders with the pepper spray, yesterday's knife attack on a motorist by a cyclist in London, the guy spitting at an elderly driver in Bath, the inconveniencing of tens of thousands of residents and businesses on sportive routes, strava t**ts on shared paths and urban routes, riders with helmet cams clearly refusing to scrub off speed when the "battle" has been lost, the baying for blood in the twittersphere, the deliberate inconveniencing of motorists during mass protest rides, the high level of RLJing, and the constant jostling for advantage at the ASL that probably causes more resentment than anything else; these are perhaps reasons why this sort of "incident" is becoming more common.
It's not an excuse for these appalling drivers, but we need to recognise the need to reduce the conflict, and Yorkshire, that includes your exhortation to tie drivers to a stake and drive at them at speed. Let's just all keep calm, and keep our fingers crossed that the Police (and the CPS) give this incident their full consideration, that any punishment reflects the serious nature of the alleged intent if proved, and that that punishment acts as both a deterent to other drivers and an encouragement to businesses to be fastideous in their choice of driver.
I think despite all that this is so obviously very close and so obviously deliberate that a charge of threatening behaviour could be made to stick, as was the case in Wales recently. That driver got six months. This one deserves the same. An incident like the one in the video would be enough to make me pack in riding.
It makes me wonder even more about some of the recent 'low-sun' cases of cyclists being killed, to be honest. How would we ever know if these were punishment passes like this 'gone wrong'?
And France Télévisions cars; ask Flecha and Hoogerland
Reminds me of this:
http://fiftyyearsandcounting.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/threatened-with-a-...
Four foot gap is plenty, if you need more then may be you shouldn't be on the road.
You seem to make a habit of not reading what people say before you reply. Oh well.
Oh yeah - you also make stuff up, it seems.
Absolutely, anything less than firing would be disgraceful, the driver should be in prison.
This is something I worry about. The ready acceptance of weak excuses for those sort of "accidents" (especially when there's often only one participant left to give their version) combined with the frequency of acts like the one reported here, makes one wonder. It would seem implausible that no punishment-pass had ever, in the entire history of driving, resulted in a serious accident.
The fact that these two phenomena (punishment passes and motorists mysteriously driving into cyclists from behind) both undoubtedly exist suggests to me that there's probably some overlap and at least some of these deaths may in fact be close to murder. The trouble is without perfect video evidence we can never know which ones.
If society is going to give motorists the benefit of the doubt and accept questionable excuses for rear-ending cyclists, then it needs to seriously crack-down on those who are caught doing things like this.
To be clear: the Dutch minimum and recommended separation between cyclists and 100+kph vehicles is ***10 meters***.
Meaning you will never find a Dutch cyclist being passed at four or fourteen or twenty-four feet distance by a vehicle on an open road.
Four feet is not plenty. Ever. Four feet is a car door and a slight wobble, or a large wing mirror and a gust of wind.
Vehicular cyclists can play in the lovely traffic all they like. But don't make out the other 99.999% of us want to or should.
Oh the irony.... and it isn't made up, i remember reading it ; )
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