Chris Boardman's horror at video of lorry close-passing his mother

Probably a note to Aldi would be more effective...

Speed and proximity are too high and too close, but unfortunately (for me) that is probably a 'safe' pass in comparison to N/R roads here in Ireland where the speed limit can be 100kph (normally 80kph) and usually no run off, except into a ditch....

There are good, curteous drivers (HGV etc - usually the most curteous) - but all too often (car/4 x 4) drivers will not even cross the white line to pass, or pass when oncoming traffic 'should' exclude it...

They just do not care...those wasted 3-10 seconds are too precious for them...

I'm glad I'm a trucker at times. I waited patiently for a mile and a half yesterday to overtake a cyclist on a road that was a bit twisty and had the odd unfortunately timed oncoming car. I guess I lost maybe 3 minutes compared to the 40mph I could technically have been travelling at.

Given the appaling conditions and the headwind, he was doing well to be moving along at 20mph.

I overtook carefully, giving him plenty of room and 400 metres later found a new set of roadworks with a red light to hold me up. I then lost over 3 minutes waiting there.

There is *nothing* important enough to overtake inconsiderately or dangerously. There *will* be further delays.

My only criticism of the cyclist was that he didn't take primary position at all, even through the pinch points with traffic islands where a repmobile would have squeezed through.

The group in the video were 2 abreast taking the lane, that idiot driving needs a clue hammering in to his thick skull.

The riders should report the driver for careless/dangerous driving to the local police.

The riders should report the driver for careless/dangerous driving to the local police.

Predictable victim blaming from a transport company there. Where's the professional embarrassment that one of their drivers is incapable of overtaking competently? If there's enough space ahead to overtake, there's enough space to use the other lane and give adequate room to other road users. 

I'm almost as depressed by the lack of literacy of the reply as by the quality of the driving.

I mean, maybe it's forgiveable if they don't actually employ any administrative/secretarial staff and it was just written by whoever was available, and in fact it's someone whose proper job is driving a lorry. But if it's someone specifically employed to write things and communicate, that's quite embarrassing in what it says about the UK educational system.

(And why are they SHOUTING?)

I don't think for a minute the person writing the repsonse has a CPC sounds more like a traffic clerk.  Far too close in my opinion and down to poor training from whoever does their driver assessment's, maybe there should be a module built into the driver cpc for periodic training.

Evidence like this should be passed to the local traffic commissioner who can look into the conduct of the driver on their O licence watch list.  Mine's wouldn't get away with that.

The driver of the flatbed found that extra couple of feet which can make such a huge difference in margin for error, especially with the turbulent bow wave of displaced air that large vehicles generate.

That response beggars belief. I find it very surprising that someone so patently lacking in basic written communication skills has authority to represent any professional organisation.

When a lorry comes this "close" in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I wave the driver thanking him for the space. It's usually just around half of meter of space that those big lorries and busses give you here. Still a long way to go for Balkans.

That letter is a sad indictment of this country's education system.  It staggers me that whoever wrote that has been placed in some position of responsibility.

This firm needs a visit from the Transport trainers at British Gypsum. I wrote to them recently commending the consistent attitudes and behaviours of their drivers. For the last three years I've commuted unlit country roads and A-roads daily and am passed by half a dozen of their wagons. They always wait patiently regardless of flat roads or hills, give loads of passing width and respond with the indicators when I acknowledge them. If one company can have all of their drivers do this, any firm can. It starts at the top and trickles down. Clearly Broadhurst and Aldi need challenging, and a lesson in grammar too.

If it was a car approaching the narrow road, it should show some consideration and half in size for the benefit of the truck.

What's sad is that I watch this and my initial reaction is that it's not too bad. This is because we've come to expect ludicrous unsafe driving as a normal occurrence. The truck driver was clearly contravening the Highway Code and the response from the transport company is unbelievable - they are in no way qualified as to judge what is safe or not.

Why couldn't the driver just slow down and wait? It's cretins like this that make me think twice about heading out for a ride. 

Way to close in my opinion. But the thing that amazed me was the total lack of reaction from the cyclists. Not even a shake of the head. It obviously happens too often.

The letter from the transport company is by someone who not only can't write, but isn't very good at thinking either.

The claim that the lorry gave ample room is wrong, as the person would know if they were familiar with the Highway Code.

As for the point that 'concideration' has to work both ways, it's an argument you'd expect, but that doesn't make it any less lame. If the people on bikes were standing on their saddles, juggling, and weaving all over the road, it's still not a reason to put their lives in danger. And in the real world, not a fantasy one, it is only ever the big truck which could kill the people riding bikes, not the other way round.

There's an O Licence that needs objecting to at renewal time as it not being administered by a competent person. Which set of traffic commissioners should we write to?

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There were arrows telling motorists to be aware that the road was narrowing, but the lorry driver just HAD TO GET IN FRONT. The pass itself: IMO too close, but typical ("just another day at the office ", as they say)