Opinions? Divided so far on other sites

zanf wrote:

Vehlin wrote:

Yorkshire wallet wrote:

Was this a gaggle of idiots, a flock, a herd? What is the collective for cyclists behaving like twats?

A bunch of muppets?

A ‘statistic’ (this guy almost was anyway)

Aside from all the “its the cyclists fault / its the HGV drivers fault”, the real direction to point the blame is the terrible infrastructure.

No ASL where most junctions now have them so those cyclists had an expectancy of one being there.

Because of ASLs, cyclists are ‘trained’ to ride up the inside of traffic to get to the head of the junction

The junction quickly filters down from the 2 right hand lanes to 1 (very wide lane) after so you have traffic being squeezed any way.

Because of how that junction is laid out (and a few others along that section of the embankment are also) you can guarantee that this incident has occurred more than once already, its just that with the recent proliferation of cheaper cameras that this is the first time its been shared, or possibly even captured.

Don’t blame the infrastructure.  These guys need to live in the real world where there are pinch points.  As can be seen from all the comments above it was obvious what would happen.  And being crushed by a lorry but thinking you were in the right because you thought the junction should have been designed differently seems a poor trade off.

I’m all for getting cars and lorries off the road but until that happens we need to use of common sense!

Idiots.

Idiots.

There’s no question about who is in the wrong there, all in a left turn only lane.

Maybe they thought there was a bike box up ahead, hence the filter. But even then, they should have been aware of the massive HGV and not cycled alongside to a pinch point.

That could have easily ended up with a serious outcome due to the stupidity of some people.

Agree with all that has gone

Agree with all that has gone before.  Hard to see how opinions could be divided elsewhere.  Left turn only lane is the key point.  If you start off in the wrong lane, out of sight of the lorry driver, what on earth do expect if you attempt to switch lanes into the killing zone.  Helmet-cam guy’s riding is even worse-  the guy who was hit at least had a chance of squirting out in front- helmet-cam guy has just nowhere to go.

Someone noted the female on the left slowing down, but even she is putting herself in real danger by starting off in the wrong lane because she is going to have to filter back into the fast moving traffic.

Yes we can criticise the infrastructure, but we need to play the hand we have been dealt.  If that means sitting back behind the lorry and getting there 5 mins later, so be it.  We’re very quick to criticise drivers for impatient passes etc that save them no real time.  Need to look in the mirror perhaps? 

(Ultimately, quite a tidy piece of bikehandling to stay upright- could well have been under the wheels.)

100% agree, poor cycling all

100% agree, poor cycling all round; however infrastructure is crap, there should be an ASL.

Mungecrundle wrote:

Utterly ridiculous piece of cycling, it’s a left turn only lane and the road markings really could not be any clearer.

Cyclists are road users and need to follow the rules or the consequence is exactly the kind of situation shown. You can blame the road design, the truck design, lack of cycling infrastructure or even wearing a plastic hat causing a brain malfunction and feelings of invulnerability but how in heck is it fair to expect the truck driver to not only be aware of the cyclists who have put themselves into a dangerous road position, but to also count the stupid bastards so he can track the whereabouts of all of them. It is possible to mitigate a lot of the hazards we face as vulnerable road users by use of technology; cameras, sensors, autonomous vehicles etc, but ultimately there is no sure fire cure for basic stupidity.

This video should be mandatory viewing for all cyclists and anyone who does not get just how profoundly in the wrong the cyclist is should make the time and effort to get a ride out with an HGV driver.

+1

There is a group of cyclists piling up in the left-turn lane, and at least some of them are going straight on. Presumably more arrived behind the helmetcammer, and the lorry driver can’t see them all.

So, taking this to its absurd conclusion (maybe its logical conclusion in London traffic)…

The lorry driver effectively has to give way to all cyclists in the wrong lane that are going straight on because ‘everybody does it’ and he might endanger them???

Mental.

Was this a gaggle of idiots,

Was this a gaggle of idiots, a flock, a herd? What is the collective for cyclists behaving like twats?

Utterly ridiculous piece of

Utterly ridiculous piece of cycling, it’s a left turn only lane and the road markings really could not be any clearer.

Cyclists are road users and need to follow the rules or the consequence is exactly the kind of situation shown. You can blame the road design, the truck design, lack of cycling infrastructure or even wearing a plastic hat causing a brain malfunction and feelings of invulnerability but how in heck is it fair to expect the truck driver to not only be aware of the cyclists who have put themselves into a dangerous road position, but to also count the stupid bastards so he can track the whereabouts of all of them. It is possible to mitigate a lot of the hazards we face as vulnerable road users by use of technology; cameras, sensors, autonomous vehicles etc, but ultimately there is no sure fire cure for basic stupidity.

This video should be mandatory viewing for all cyclists and anyone who does not get just how profoundly in the wrong the cyclist is should make the time and effort to get a ride out with an HGV driver.

Agree with everyone else here

Agree with everyone else here.  No way the lorry driver was going to be able to see the guys to his left.  Why anyone thinks that they will win an arguement with a lorry is beyond me.

People seem to be obsessed with right of way. (I know they didn’t necessaily have it in this case.) In sailing there is a better set of rules.  There is a “Stand On” boat, and a “Stay Clear” boat.  The Stand On boat behaves as if it has right of way but also isn’t allowed to make sudden changes so that the other boat can predict its path, and the Stay Clear keeps out of the way.  But the primary rule is that you aren’t allowed to hit the other boat.  So even if the Stand On boat thinks it has right of way it has to give it up if a collision would occur.  These guys need to think like that.  Even if they thought they had right of way it was pretty obvious there was going to be a collision.  So they should have stayed clear.