Family of cyclist killed in HGV crash: tackle dangerous roads

Hang on folks, think about this logically. Dangerous things are banned.

Roads are now classed as dangerous, therefore they should be banned. No roads, no Tarmac to drive on. No traffic! Traffic free cycling and walking. We just have to ride gravel bikes or mtbs.

Don't complain - who wouldn't want to save 20 minutes in getting from London to Birmingham...

But seriously: not an inch of track or wheel of rolling stock exists yet... And possibly never will. And £1bn has been spent.

There's money. Just not for cycling.

Even if you ignore the lack of vision that trucks have, they are still too dangerous to be used near pedestrians and cyclists.

Most cars that get low scores on the Euro NCAP crash testing are either dodgy Far East rubbish, or big, blunt nosed vehicles like vans and pickups. An HGV wouldn't even get 1 star!

Compare a pedestrian being hit by a lorry at 20mph with a pedestrian being hit by a modern Volvo at 30-40mph and I bet the Volvo would still be safer!

@at ChrisB20

Yesterday it was the "lorries are dangerous ... and should be banned" ;

And frankly, the rider in orange suit; what he's doing there ? do you really think he's visible in the dark ?

But OK, we'll have more of "crashed by a lorry" and "hit by a car" ...

I'm still waiting for the "murdered by a careless truck driver texting to his girlfriend while speeding at 50mph ".

A tragic case, but it isn't just London that needs improvements, it is the whole country.  We've had thirty years of governments extolling the virtues of cycling and walking, White papers, National Cycling Strategies, statements from prime ministers, we even had a minister for cycling, but nothing changes: all the money gets spent on building more roads for cars.  If there happens to be 50p left over after building the road, they consider doing something for cyclists, but only if it doesn't inconvenience a single driver by a single second.

It is not just the lorries being too big but drivers being too arrogant and impatient. I nearly became a statistic today when I was overtaken by a lorry whilst I was  signalling right just at the point I was crossing  the central white line. No blind spot problem or road layout issue just a w@nker who didn't care less.

Oh, I understand now, it's the roads that are dangerous, not the people driving on them!

Really feel for the family and totally understand the call for safer junctions but to me it's only a part of the issue.

A couple of years ago I sat in an HGV as part of the Met's cycling/road safety campaign and listened to the officer demonstrating and explaining about the relative blind spots. As we all know these vehicles have appalling vsiibilty and when said officer had finished his explanation he asked me for my conlusions - no doubt he was expecting me to say that I must keep clear of HGV's and never undrtake them etc., which are all valid points. However the first words out of my mouth and my overbearing feelings to this day were "What the hell are these vehicles doing in towns and cities?". Obviously the police officer had no answer for me and nor would I expect him to.

The mayor might be phasing out the worst designs but I strongly feel that they are just too big full stop and the fact is that as a society we continue to put private profit (larger vehicles = economies of scale) before public safety. It was clear to me that within ten seconds of sitting in that truck that this vehicle is too big and too unsafe to be allowed in crowded narrow streets. Yet they are and added in to this already unsafe situation you have a sizeable number of cretinous drivers, talking on phones, flouting traffic rules and bullying their way through the streets.

I can't speak to the beahviour of Phillip Beadle but I would guess that had he been in a vehicle that was suitable for the city, such as a van, then perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.

It's also going to take increased responsibility on behalf of HGV drivers to observe and look properly before undertaking a manoeuvre that is potentially hazardous to vulnerable road users  - I was nearly squashed flat on Friday by a Post Office lorry that decided to do a U-turn - no indicating, no looking.  It's as close as I have ever come to being a statistic.

The remainder of my delighful commute incuded a proper left hook and a pull-out from a roundabout. 

I nearly got off and walked the rest