Mark Cavendish slides across the finish line after Giro sprint crash chaos; Driver crashes into “cursed” Velorution bike shop AGAIN; Mr Loophole says plan to allow longer lorries “a really bad idea”; Genius congestion-tackling + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Extremely close call for Jay Vine at Giro d'Italia after almost getting taken out by his own team car
It could have all gone wrong for UAE Team Emirates and Jay Vine at the stage four of Giro d’Italia.
Jay Vine. So close… 🧐#Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/BPlqgIkhfH
— Jakub Jarosz (@jakjarosz) May 9, 2023
“Well, that nearly ended in tears! That will have woken him up if nothing had before,” said the commentator.
Watching this again today morning surely did wake me up (either that, or this second cup of coffee next to me).
Council says it will conduct a further audit for World Championship route's pothole-repaired roads which left cyclist with a broken saddle
Yesterday morning, Alan Myles, perhaps inspired by the now moustache-toting Wout van Aert, set off to do a recon of the UCI World Championship route in Scotland.
But as it turned out, riding at race speeds may not be advisable on a (checks notes) race route, as the bumpy and even Campsie Road in Lennoxtown near Glasgow, which has been confirmed to feature in the Championships later this August, left him with a snapped rail on the saddle and hoping to dear God that the other rail holds on for the 16 miles till home.
@EDCouncil has made what is likely to be the last repair to part of the @CyclingWorlds route. I though i’d ride it at race speed this morning and my saddle snapped. So that will be fun for all the riders… just the 16 miles left for the other rail to hold on till home.@roadcc pic.twitter.com/848ZzubTIN
— Alan Myles 🇵🇸 (@AlanMyles8) May 9, 2023
He told road.cc: “The council re-laid the road just round the corner so it looks highly unlikely this bit will get done before the championships as they would have done it at the same time (the road had to be closed for it).”
We had reached out to the East Dunbartonshire Council asking whether they would be resurfacing the road or not, and their reply is… vague.
Ann Davie, Depute Chief Executive, East Dunbartonshire Council told road.cc: “We have conducted an initial route audit and are in regular discussion with the UCI World Cycling Championship event organisers. A further route audit will be conducted imminently. The results of this will be discussed with the organisers and actions and timescales will be agreed.”
I doubt the UCI will be very pleased.
Longer lorries allowed on UK's roads by the Government: Will it make cycling and walking conditions worse?
The UK Government has announced new laws today to permit longer semi-trailer combinations up to 18.55 metres on British roads – 2.05 metres longer than standard size.
Let’s unpack this. First, I’ll leave you all to discuss this bizarre press release.
Second, the “trial” for these longer lorries has been running since 2013 with over 3000 already on the road from 300 companies.
And third, freight trains exist! Campaign for Better Transport have in the past called them “an efficient, safe and clean alternative, with just one freight train capable of removing up to 129 lorries from our roads”.
We did a lot of work exposing the dangers and misinformation around longer lorries, so we’re disappointed @transportgovuk is taking this retrograde step. https://t.co/WVGXcDhTHP
— Campaign for Better Transport (@CBTransport) May 10, 2023
Official figures show that HGVs accounted for only 3.4 per cent of traffic – but were involved in 15.5 per cent of cyclist and 11 per cent of pedestrian deaths.
As you’d expect, this decision has left many, including those who value their safety on roads scratching their heads.
Cycling UK has raised fears it “could cost lives of pedestrians and cyclists”, and rightly pointed out: “At a time when funding for infrastructure to keep people cycling and walking safer has been cut, it’s alarming that longer and more hazardous lorries could now be allowed to share the road with people cycling and walking.”
You might remember this tweet from a Swedish researcher who did a test on the safety of cyclists when being passed by extra-long lorries and HGVs from a couple weeks ago.
Last weekend we collected data on how 23 experienced road cyclists feel when being passed by a truck. We tested 50 and 80 km/h and 1 m, 1.5 m and 2 m clearance with a standard and an extra long truck. Many thanks to all volunteers and the team! pic.twitter.com/bufzhvKvm4
— Katja Kircher 🚴♀️ – @katjakircher@mastodon.nu (@KatjaKircher) April 27, 2023
What do you think? Could it make cycling and walking on UK roads even more unsafe than it already is?
Here’s what some other people think…
“Could”?
It’s a “will” – the uncertainty is around how many— Roger Humphry (@RojH123) May 10, 2023
Hot tip: it won’t save any CO2. Numbers of such lorries will increase, wiping out any gains. Same seen with rise of SUVs. We need heavy restrictions on use of all roads by motor traffic.
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) May 10, 2023
Just a ridiculous, retrograde step. Apparently it’s about the ‘need for robust supply chains’, which reading between the lines = ‘since we your govt have shot the UK trade in both feet with #Brexit, we’re grasping for anything whatever the implications, safety or other…’
— ClayDenizen (@claydenizen) May 10, 2023
We’ll be reporting more on this news shortly…
Cycling infrastructure genius
A bike parking? Prop for the next Danny MacAskill video? Portal to another dimension (hopefully, with better cycling infrastructure)? I can’t decide…
“Councillor, with this high quality cycling network you are really spoiling us.” https://t.co/eg2iw0slgV
— Jon Owen (@anotherJon) May 9, 2023
I think this was my favourite reply
It’s fine- if you cycle fast enough at the fence you end up on platform 9 3/4
— Kate Ball (@tandemkate) May 9, 2023
It's the silly rebrand season! Team DSM to be rebranded as DSM-Firmenich by Tour de France
While we await summer to come knocking on our doors, I can get behind the silly rebrand season.
Days after we reported that Trek-Segafredo is to become Lidl-Trek from the Tour de France onwards, we are hearing that Team DSM are also set for a new persona just in time for the Grand Tour.
The Dutch team, whose 23-year-old rider Andreas Leknessund made headlines yesterday taking the pink jersey away from Evenepoel at the Giro d’Italia, has had its title sponsor DSM merge with the Swiss company Firmenich and could be renamed as “Team DSM-Firmenich” by mid-June, according to Radio Cycling.
A quick Wikipedia search told me that Firmenich SA is a private Swiss company in the fragrance and flavour business (come on, I’m not going to act like I knew that).
While not as exciting as having my second-favourite grocery store sponsor a UCI team personally, I’m all ready and eager to see how the new jerseys look. Wonder if Firmenich can pour money into making a kit that’s still fragrant after my two hours on the bike.
Is Velorution cursed? Driver crashes into unfortunate London cycle shop once again
First a bus, now a car smashing into a bike shop? I can’t believe it.
In what can only be described as a remarkable concurrence of events, a car driver has crashed into the London bike shop Velorution in Marylebone. It comes just six weeks after a separate incident in which a TfL bus crashed into another Velorution shop in Chelsea.
> Rudie Can’t Steer? TfL double-decker bus crashes into London bike shop with driver injured
Are we being targeted?! First, we had a bus come through our window at Chelsea and this morning, a car has parked in our Marylebone shop! The store will be closed until at least midday today.#carcrash #cycling #londonparking #ebike #londonnews pic.twitter.com/QoaYVX3qHq
— Velorution (@_velorution) May 10, 2023
It’s unclear why the driver of the car crashed into the shop after turning right onto Riding House Street shortly after 6 am this morning. Video footage from inside the shop shows the driver taking the turn normally, before speeding up and becoming lodged in the scaffolding of the building. Riding House Street remains closed whilst the scaffolding of the building is assessed for damage.
Jonathan Cole, the owner of Velorution joked, “I’m starting to think one of our competitors is to blame!”.
The shop is managed by Sean Hayhow, who was also in the Chelsea store at the time of that incident. “I’m starting to think I’m cursed,” quipped Sean over WhatsApp this morning.
Cole continued, “On a serious note, I’m glad the shop was closed and no one was in it at the time of the event. We’re assisting emergency services and property management with their enquiries.
“It’s obviously extremely disappointing to have to close, at least for this morning. We’re entering our busiest time of the year and our unique cafe trike outside the shop does excellent business throughout the day. We’re doing everything we can to be open as soon as possible.”
Velorution is a specialist in urban, folding and electric bikes, and has four stores in London. Two down, two to go?
The end is nigh: Mr Loophole defends cyclists, calls allowing longer lorries on UK roads "a really bad idea"
He is back with his armchair expert analysis of road safety in Great Britain, and this time he said… wait, I wasn’t suppposed to agree with him.
When Nick Freeman, the man known as Mr Loophole for securing acquittals for celebrity clients charged with motoring offences (Beckham, Lampard, and Clarkson), tweeted about the UK Government’s decision to allow “longer and more hazardous” lorries on roads putting cyclists’ and pedestrians’ lives in danger, I thought I was getting duped by one of those fake parody accounts.
But I couldn’t help but agree with everything Loophole’s said, and that’s making me feel a bit uneasy.
A really bad idea. Poses huge additional risk to pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. Particularly on slow moving, narrow lanes of smart motorways. Will be heavier carbon footprint and end up with many more large lorries on roads. Why not put haulage on rail?https://t.co/wijsII3Ozx
— Nick Freeman (@TheMrLoophole) May 10, 2023
Additional risk to other road users? 100 per cent. Slow moving and adding to congestion? Definitely. More large lorries so heavier carbon footprint? Spot on. Why not use freight trains instead? Hallelujah!
But now that I think (with my tinfoil hat on), could this mean a change in direction for Freeman who’s trying to get rid of bad blood between himself and cyclists? In January this year, he shocked everyone at road.cc by suggesting motorists make it their New Year’s resolution to give cyclists more space when overtaking.
I’ll still hold out judgement, because in the past, he’s made comments claiming that cyclists are “abusing” rules on riding two abreast, ranted about “cycling with impunity” and applauded police action against “vigilante cyclists” filming law-breaking drivers.
Remco Evenepoel crashes after loose dog runs into Giro d'Italia peloton
I had just switched on the Giro when this happened…
A massive heart-in-mouth moment for Remco Evenepoel and Soudal Quick-Step, as an awfully cute dog unfortunately made its way onto the track, forcing one of the world champion’s teammates to hit the deck first which led to Evenepoel crashing as well.
> Remco Evenepoel crashes after loose dog runs into Giro d’Italia peloton
Genius solution for getting rid of traffic congestion
A few brilliant, nuanced and data-backed solutions have been proposed in the Facebook group “Brighton and Hove against ULEZ and LTNs”.
These include:
- Free-flowing traffic
- Higher speed limit
- Convenient free car parking space
- No pedestrian crossings or traffic lights
- Cycle lanes away from roads
- 30-60 mile trips
I think we’ve finally found the solution to all of the traffic congestion in every single city.
In this case it’s Brighton & Hove specific, but I can’t see any reason what so ever, why it wouldn’t work everywhere. Can you? pic.twitter.com/ynI04zhETm
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) May 10, 2023
Obituary: Tony Doyle, MBE, Britain's pioneering cycling World Track Champion
A cycling legend and one of the most successful Britons to take up the sport, Anthony ‘Tony’ Doyle MBE died from pancreatic cancer, at the age of 64, only four weeks after his diagnosis on 30 April, 2023.
road.cc has an obituary for the beloved icon, courtesy of the Doyle family:
Tony’s illustrious racing career brought unmatched success to British track cycling in the 1980s-90s – twice World Pursuit Champion, four-time European Champion, pioneering British winner of 23 Six Days and many other titles. Competing in the days before cycling had wide media exposure, Tony Doyle is a legend in the cycling community.
Tony’s cycling journey started in 1972 at age 14, when he joined his local Clarence Wheelers cycling club. In 1979, he moved to Metz, France, and spent a season racing on the continent. Shortly after his arrival, Tony won his first race, the 130km Prix Pinchi at Bouligny, going on to win a further 11 races in his first exposure to continental racing.
In 1980, he claimed his position as Britain’s leading track cyclist by winning the 5km Individual Pursuit in the 1980 World Championships at Besancon and, extraordinarily for a rookie professional, his first World Championship.
We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former British Cycling President and world track champion, Tony Doyle MBE.
Our thoughts are with Tony’s family and many friends at this time. Full obituary to follow.
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) May 5, 2023
Tony used his World Championship as a springboard to participate in his first professional Six Day, the Skol 6 in Wembley, describing it as a baptism of fire. Tony’s ambition was to become the first Briton to crack the continental Six Day circuit – a very few had won individual races, but nobody had yet mastered the Six Day, still less dominated the events as Tony was destined to do. He won his first Six Day in 1983 at Berlin, the first time a Brit had won a Six Day since 1972.
In the 1988-89 season, Doyle, with his teammate Danny Clark won five of the seven Six Days. Ultimately, Tony remains the most successful British Six Day competitor ever.
In the 1986 Championships, Tony was up against his long-standing rival Hans Henrik Oersted, who had beaten him in the previous two years’ finals. By the 4km mark, with 1km to go, Oersted had a lead of two seconds, and it seemed like the race was over. However, Tony put in one of the sport’s greatest ever counter-attacks and completed the final kilometre in just 1 minute 5.91 seconds. Oersted could not respond, and Tony Doyle had become World Champion once again, winning by a margin of 1.946 seconds.
The whole of British Cycling was jubilant, at a time when there wasn’t much success to cheer on the track.
Tony Doyle at the 1986 world individual pursuit championship’s, Colorado Springs. pic.twitter.com/r8C78WF81Q
— cycling archives (@mission753) May 8, 2023
In November 1989, Tony suffered a traumatic injury whilst racing at the Munich Six Day. He fell head-first and remained in a coma for eight days, with his shoulder broken in five places and his elbow broken in two. It was predicted that he would be unable ever to return to professional racing. He had to relearn the most basic tasks, including how to walk and eat.
However, within just three and a half months, he was back on the road and went on to win the 1990 Munich Six Day. He raced for a further four years, eventually retiring due to a back injury sustained at the Zurich Six Day in 1994.
Awarded an MBE in 1989 for services to cycling, Tony mentored and supported many younger riders, and visited countless schools to encourage the children into cycling as a pastime and competitively. He was a technical innovator, being the first to use for example the solid wheel, the wind tunnel, and the application of continuous meticulous tiny improvements to all aspects of equipment and training to improve performance.
After retiring, Tony later served as president of British Cycling, was the founding director of the Tour of Britain and played a significant role in sports promotion and media.
Anthony is survived by his partner Adriana Alessi, his children George, Gemma and James and their mother Anne.
Increased sentence for hit-and-run driver who killed cyclist while speeding at 80mph in 30mph zone before torching car
Lee Beevers was already banned from driving when he hit and killed cyclist Alan Tankard as the rider crossed the road on his bike wearing hi-vis clothing in West Yorkshire last year
It's pouring down at Giro d'Italia
It’s been a tough day for the riders, with rainy and windy conditions making it seem less and less likely for a straightforward sprint finish at Salermo.
🔥 With 60 km to go @ChampionThomas8 – @TeamCOFIDIS, @ZOCC2 – @Bardiani_CSF, Stefano Gandin – @corratecSelleIt have a 1’02” lead#Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/5kx5fz1udT
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 10, 2023
But if you can count on anyone to show up, it’s the Tifosi.
😍 Tifosi #Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/l1FD0XANkK
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 10, 2023
Think Mark Cavendish’s feeling at home with these conditions.
“Smilin’ in the Rain”
🌧️🌧️🌧️#Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/YtJA7r2TzO
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 10, 2023
Chaos! Rain-soaked Giro d'Italia stage five marred by crashes as Evenepoel, Cavendish, Roglič, Leknessund, Groves, all go down
I hate to ask it, but did I just jinx Mark Cavendish? I hope not.
As the heavens opened up in southern Italy, the Giro d’Italia stage five witnessed a number of crashes, with Evenepoel going down twice and Cavendish taking a really awkward tumble right before the finish line during the sprint.
Earlier in the day, Evenepoel got caught out by a crash caused by a loose dog. After sitting down on the ground for quite a bit, he managed to get up and get going. However, that was not to be the end of miseries for the world champion, who had passed on the race lead to Team DSM’s Leknessund yesterday.
> Remco Evenepoel crashes after loose dog runs into Giro d’Italia peloton
With just 2km to go in the race, he got involved in another crash after entangling with a Trek-Segafredo rider. Although he didn’t suffer any time loss in the general classification, it’s definitely a day he would like to forget. Remco and Soudal Quick-Step can only hope the the Belgian is alright after today and can dust off this stage’s setbacks and go again tomorrow.
Watch now the last km of stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia 2023🔻
.
Guarda ora l’ultimo km della tappa 5 del Giro d’Italia 2023.🔻#Giro #GirodItalia @Expo2030Roma pic.twitter.com/1mXRoduimI— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 10, 2023
Mark Cavendish was also affected a few kilometres later, first clipping Team DSM’s Alberto Dainese’s rear wheel but somehow avoided falling, but in doing so, drifted to his right and into Filippo Fiorelli, who got pinned at the barriers. Cavendish then bounced again to his left, and this time had no way of saving himself going down, sliding on the ground up to the finish line.
Another GC contender Jumbo Visma’s Primož Roglič was also involved in a crash with 5km to go, with maglia rosa Leknessund also going down at the same time. Both were able to recover and not lose any time.
Amidst all this, I almost forgot that the 24-year-old Australian Kaden Groves took the stage victory. And guess what, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, who got mixed in a crash controversy in stage three of Giro, was caught up in the second Evenepoel crash himself as well! Ridiculously impressive stuff to get back up and go on to win the sprint!
Well that was some finish to today’s stage. Hope everyone gets back on the team bus okay and good to race tomorrow.
Sliding across the finish line?! Cavendish holds on to handlebars to finish fifth while sliding on the ground
We all love a photo finish, but not sure this is what comes to my mind when I think of one.
#Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/FPVwoHeOGw
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 10, 2023
While Groves held off stage two winner Jonathan Milan and 2019 Road World Champion Mads Pederson, Mark Cavendish grabbed everyone’s attention with an acrobatic finish at the line that put him fifth.
I hope he’s okay and gets a chance to actually complete one of his trademark sprints at any of the upcoming stages, but I can’t deny, this is an instant classic.
10 May 2023, 09:21
10 May 2023, 09:21
10 May 2023, 09:21
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Latest Comments
@quiff as an Edinburgh resident I can confidently say he's speaking without moving his lips in one sense: - while as I noted in a separate comment there *is* now some real separated cycle infra, all the examples i can think of have *at least as much space* for pedestrians. The rest of the "cycle infra" is essentially similar to the situation in the rest of the UK: eg. bus lanes*, cycle lanes and shared use paths (eg. "build" infra by sticking up a sign). Edinburgh is one of the places with a moderately extensive network of former railways which have been converted to "shared use" paths (completely motor traffic few). However though shared they are not narrow by UK standards. And this is all effectively a "free extra" for all non- motorised users, not like the "sign a cycle path" where pedestrians do lose space. I think this all comes from the "popular understanding" of cycling in which ultimately cyclists are the "other". They don't fit "motor vehicle" or "pedestrian" (including wheelchairs on the very rare occasions people think about that). Thus "cyclists are cheating" in multiple ways! They shouldn't get their own space as "there aren't enough" of them. And "they can just use the road / path". But being able to *choose* "on the road" or "on the footway" (shared use path) is clearly unfair - nobody else gets to do that! BUT of course even if they did pick just one of road OR pedestrian space it's still not fair anyway because they're "too slow" for the road (don't pay "road tax" etc...) and "far too fast" for pedestrians... * Though some existing cyclists may appreciate them when there are few buses, buses and bikes are a very poor mix for several reasons.
Whilst a shame for any employees, their bib shorts had the worst chamois pad I’d ever encountered, utter waste of my money. Even though they were Strava challenge discount purchases, still a waste of money.
Thanks, just going to have to suck it up. Got next week off and will take the easy, if expensive option...
@ktache Just go for the TNT Sports only package, £30.99 for a month. Alternatively have you considered experimenting with a VPN for a few pounds, allowing you to sign up for a free stream abroad, e.g. SBS Australia which streams the Tour live? If I didn't have a kind mate's login that's what I'd do!
So, it's now the month of July and I'm going to have to pay to watch the TdF, for one month only. On a tablet unfortunately, as I didn't manage to get a laptop to rig up to the TV, grrr. Just wondering, what package will I have to fork out for? Not wanting to pay for the wrong one...
Not that it sounds like a dealbreaker given the other faults you've identified, but that cable isn't really a "proprietary" cable, four pin magnetic cables like that are quite common on bone-conducting headphones and other devices (my inexpensive smartwatch uses one) and they can be had for £4.99 on UK Amazon.
There was never really anything to say about le col kit. Most of it was alright. Some of it was poorly designed/made. Trying to position yourself as a Rapha competitor whilst always offering 40% or more off doesn't scream premium though.
Up next in the MucOff product line; for when the cassette won't budge, (chain)whip-it!
(Plus I'm pretty certain TDF team leaders don't drive themselves to the start nor bring their own bicycles)
57 thoughts on “Mark Cavendish slides across the finish line after Giro sprint crash chaos; Driver crashes into “cursed” Velorution bike shop AGAIN; Mr Loophole says plan to allow longer lorries “a really bad idea”; Genius congestion-tackling + more on the live blog”
According to the BBC there is
According to the BBC there is also a desire to increase max lorry weight to 48T.
Why can’t they focus on last mile or shared distribution points.
Plenty of lorry incidents in the long forum topic on car crashes into building.
LOL
LOL
Imagine Soho early in the morning. Now the central district of London is often gridlocked by lorries deliverieng one or two palletes of beer. Longer lorries? More gridlocks and of course “but cyclists”
These will not deliver beer.
These will not deliver beer. Beer is heavy, so HGVs hit max gross weight when carrying it without the extra length. These vehicles are for trunking low weight, high volume products.
And further destruction of
And further destruction of road surfaces not designed to cope with this weight. Too many HGVs using minor roads to cut distance rather than the A / M roads that are better designed to cope with them.
There is no extra weight.
There is no extra weight.
The ask for extra weight is not linked to the extra length, it is to do with the fact that people still want stuff delivered cheap, but HGVs are expected to stop using diesel and batteries are very heavy.
I know there is no extra
I know there is no extra weight. I was commenting on Hirsute’s comment regarding the desire to increase legal max weight. I just get fed up watching the road edges crumble where HGVs are using B roads which are not desighned to take their weight.
I work in distribution and we use these longer vehicles already. They are useful to reduce the number of trips from our central distribution hub. I have seen (only once in fairness in the several years we have used them) a driver swing around and take out a stack of products when he forgot about the extra length. We learned from that and put in extra training – hopefully everyone is as responsible!
HGVs spend most their time
HGVs spend most their time with at least some free space, often lots. Very rarely are they full to the point that an extra 2m would make a difference. The deciding factors on what goes on a lorry are what needs to go where and when, not the available capacity of the lorry itself.
I therefore struggle with the economic value attributed to this. Just more space on our roads being taken up with bigger vehicles causing more collisions.
Sorry Nick, but the limiting
Sorry Nick, but the limiting factor is often length, and the extra 2m would be another 4 pallets, and would regularly make a difference.
I don’t agree with them, as think they will need more room and pose risk, but as a freight forwarder, I fill a lot of trucks
Are you a failed haulier?
Are you a failed haulier?
The way that hauliers make a profit is by running full most of the time, whether that be at max gross weight or maximum volume.
There will be empty space where a haulier is doing multi point drop/ collections, but these longer trailers are not for that. These are for trunking between distibution centres.
I used to work in a
I used to work in a Sainsburys. The lorries never arrived full, usually half empty. They only delivered what the shop needed. I supose the lorry could have gone to another shop first, I wouldn’t know.
Usually the logistics company
Usually the logistics company will coordinate the drops covering several stores. Larger stores will receive a full box. If you’ve had a partial box you’re probably part of a multi store load.
Not only is the decision to
Not only is the decision to allow longer lorries onto UK roads dangerous for us, our infrastructure in a number of places will not be able to cope.
The amount of narrow passings and entrances to industrial estates mean our current articulated vehicles barely make it through, and often cause temporary road blockages as they negotiate these pinch points. And these aren’t inner city areas, either. I wonder how many walls/buildings/gates will be damaged by these longer lorries who get stuck in these tight spaces.
The reporting on this (as
The reporting on this (as often with cycling stuff in the mainstream media) is quite poor.
Firstly these longer semi-trailer vehicles have been on the road as part of “a trial” for a decade.
Secondly this overal length of vehicle is already permitted for rigid HGV plus trailer combinations.
Thirdly, in order to be accepted for the trial, and presumably now the regulations are to be changed permanently, the combination has to be able to manoeuvre in the same restricted space as a “standard” 13.8m trailer, so they all have active steering axles.
All the evidence is that these are no more dangerous than standard HGVs.
Having said that, they are not well suited to urban environments, but the operators know this and have a range of trailer designs for the different routes they operate on.
It’s nice to have comments
It’s nice to have comments from someone who is actually knowledgeable on the subject, rather than the usual Twitter nonsense. Thank you.
My other regular read is
My other regular read is Commercial Motor
Sounds thrilling! Although I
Sounds thrilling! Although I’m sure people feel the same about road.cc
Presumeably these longer
Presumeably these longer trailers will not be much more expensive than the current “standard” trailer? In which case few hauliers will continue buying the current standard size, whether they need the extra space or not.
They are significantly more
They are significantly more expensive due to the control systems for the steering. Any haulier moving things that are already weight limited will not want them because the trailers are heavier so they would actually lose payload.
As with double decker trailers,, 1 axle trailers, 2 axle trailers, rigid HGVs hauliers will use them where they make commercial sense. Most of the hauliers I work with are involved in agricultural bulk commodities and they have no interest in this at all.
Matthew Acton-Varian wrote:
The road surfaces will suffer if the long lorries are heavier too. It’d make more sense to split the lorries up into lighter loads to avoid destroying the tarmac.
Not from a carbon footprint
Not from a carbon footprint perspective. Over the trial period most hauliers using the longer trailers have seen a small increase in fuel consumption, more than offset by the extra goods carried.
I agree that our roads are crumbling under current traffic, but that isn’t the fault of hauliers or lorries – as with our cycling concerns it caused by a failure to invest adequately in infrastructure.
SimoninSpalding wrote:
The damage is disproportionately caused by the heavy lorries, so we are in effect subsidising the bigger vehicles.
Must-read the headline and
Mis-read the headline and thought that Jeremy Vine was nearly taken out by a team car at the Giro – didnt think that was on his normal commute?
The DS was too eager with the
The DS was too eager with the accelerator and his rider wasn’t ready for it.
I’m massively opposed to
I’m massively opposed to longer lorries but the calls for more freight-on-rail ignore the reality.
As long as unions can grind the rail network to a halt for days / weeks at a time, commercial freight will never move from road to rail.
Given the complexity of modern supply chains and reduction in warehousing / inventory, most companies simply can’t trust rail enough to rely in it for their logistics transport.
Part of the Union – and, weak
Part of the Union – and, weak excuses
open_roads wrote:
You’ll probably find many lorry drivers wish they had the power of a union behind them to improve their pay’n’conditions…
Damn right.
Damn right.
Back in the 90s, I’d have been as happy as Larry. Certainly wouldn’t have had to work 80-90 hours a week, for £5.50per hour
open_roads wrote:
FTFY
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
This is just the reality of supply chain planning – for overland movements no company will permanently move their regular freight lanes to rail when there’s a perpetual risk of protracted industrial action.
open_roads wrote:
Yeah, but it’s easier to shoot the messenger as they’re standing right in front of you.
Industrial action is usually the result of bosses getting overly greedy and exploiting the workers, so they can either choose to not exploit them so much or switch over to using a heavily exploited workforce that have no choice to strike.
Or it’s a result of greedy
Or it’s a result of greedy union members exploiting their monopoly.
Hopefully the RMT etc will go the way of the print unions soon enough.
Rich_cb wrote:
Too right. We can’t have those kinds of people earning a decent wage or asking for more money or better conditions!
RMT members are network rail staff who work on the tracks, station staff, guards, cleaners etc. Most earn between £18k-34k.
But this year they came to us with a 0% pay rise plus over 2500 redundancies, changes to terms and conditions.
An increase from 28 weeks of nights to 39 weeks of nights. An increase from 32 weekends worked to 39 weekends worked.
Currently for a night shift we get time and a quarter, for a weekend turn we get time and a half.
They wish to cut both of these to time and a tenth. So that’s a 15% pay cut on every night shift and a 40% pay cut on every weekend turn.Would you be prepared to accept that?
Compare and contrast the pay
Compare and contrast the pay and conditions of the rail unions with almost any other occupation.
For what they do, they’re ridiculously overpaid with a whole bunch of archaic working practices thrown in for good measure.
This leads directly to billions of pounds of extra costs which are paid for by taxpayers.
It’s hardly a surprise that redundancies are being proposed when you consider quite how much of the workload has been automated. Ticket barriers, ticket offices etc.
Unless we modernise working practices on the railways we’ll never get people out of their cars. The rail unions are just rent seeking parasites.
Rich_cb wrote:
monopoly employers require a monopoly workforce to prevent exploitation, if you work in retail or manufacturing or accountancy or any number of roles in the private sector and you feel you are being underpaid you can look around for any number of alternative employers who will pay more.
When you work for network rail, there are not the range of employers available competing for workers.
I’d be interested to see an analysis of inflation in rail fares over the last 20 years against inflation in rail workers wages. I think that might reveal where the greed and exploitation of monopoly in the system really lies.
The reality that is ignored
The reality that is ignored by the call for more rail freight is that we don’t have rail infrastructure to take it. Railfreight is slow (passenger trains have priority so they are constantly stopping and waiting for their turn), and most users of goods don’t have a railway to their premises so you still end up with HGVs taking goods on the road.
HS2 just wanted to remind
HS2 just wanted to remind people that it’s not about getting to Brum 10mins quicker 🙂
Obviously we’re paying the
Obviously we’re paying the price for failed transport/economic policies for decades.
And for people like you, the disastrous result of those failed policies then becomes the argument for continuing ever faster on towards the abyss, instead of reversing them.
I wasn’t aware any
I wasn’t aware any railfreight strikes had been happening, Network rail signallers would have had an impact on them but I thought they’d been resolved, other than that the strikes have been with the passenger train co’s.
Frankly certainly for a port like Felixstowe the A14 is more a risk than the railway, which is why the majority of container traffic is by rail, and thank god for it as else roads in Suffolk would be nose to tail container lorries.
Er…..
Er…..
Velorution?
Where’s the car crash?
It’s gone into the scaffolding, not the shop.
Less of the sensationalism please?
Evolution
Velorution
But, but but …..how can we blame the scaffolding poles when they had hi-viz covers on.
Aaaah, no lights!!!!
Longer trucks.
Longer trucks.
I remember the doom and gloom warnings when we went from 40ft to 45ft.
And that doom and gloom hasn’t really materialised … well, not from the heavy haulage side of things.
The issue with a 61ft trailer is where it is used.
This trailer length is fine for moving goods from an RDC to another RDC or to an LDC, due to the additional pallet space available.
Most RDC/ LDC are on the outskirts of big towns and cities (think the distribution hubs at Crick, Wakefield, Grangemouth, Haydock), and are largely served by motorway/ primary trunk roads.
These trailer lengths are impractical and almost impossible to maneuver around towns and cities (speaking as someone that used to take a 45fter in to Central London).
Drawbar units are often upto 69ft long, and these are ideal for moving freight into cities and towns.
I regularly used to have to run 75ft, non-devisable steel from Scunthorpe to Manchester … and that never went over Woodhead, always the M62. Trailer of that length was fine as it was being used on roads designed to take large vehicles.
The problem with large vehicles is education… and not just of the driver, but of other road users. These vehicles will need more swing room… and you’ll be surprised at how many car drivers will play chicken with an artic – although as cyclists, you probably won’t be.
Longer trailers are unlikely to be an issue, provided they are used in areas that they are suitable.
I agree, assuming the
I agree, assuming the logistics hauliers are sensible and just using them as point to point hub deliveries on the road trunk network, absolutely the largest volume you can shift in one movement is the cheapest most efficient, its exactly the same with air freight, and it won’t have an impact on the majority of cyclists. These extended trucks aren’t going to be delivering to villages or small towns because its actually less efficient to ship empty air around for them.
I would agree in principle
I would agree in principle but what should/would happen if the motorway is closed and a diversion put in place?
The irony is, all the
The irony is, all the locations quoted for distribution hubs at Crick, Wakefield, Grangemouth, Haydock are connected by electrified railways. One train with one driver of e.g. 30 container-carrying wagons (assuming 2 containers per wagon) can take a significant quantity of freight off our overcrowded roads.
The traffic reports featuring numerous times daily on national radio are a testament to too much traffic being on the roads – it doesn’t take much for somewhere to grind to a halt. It’s the proverbial quart being squeezed into a pint pot.
I appreciate it’s all about cost, razor thin margins and capacity of the networks we have, there has to be a better solution compared to where we are now.
My employer and one of our
My employer and one of our hauliers has been part of this test and they have been running from Birmingham to Milton Keynes and back on a specified route with regular and double deck trailers. I haven’t noticed any issues when I’ve been in the yard on a Fork lift around them and the few times they have passed me on a dual carriageway while cycling I didn’t have any problems. Of course I might feel differently if I met one on a country lane or busy inner city junction.
Re Velorution – shout out to
Re Velorution – shout out to the scaffolders, didnt collapse after that, great job well done
Someone should do the decent
Someone should do the decent thing and send that cycle lane picture to JRM so that he can showcase it as evidence of cyclists not availing themselves of the expensive infrastructure being provided for their use.
The Swedish research is not
The Swedish research is not relevant here. Their “Extra long” trucks are so called B-doubles which are permitted on some routes in Scandinavia (and I think Netherlands) which run at about 60 T gross and consist of a tractor unit pulling 2 trailers (think very short Aussie roadtrain).
The vehicles in the announcement are already here, and to be quite honest it makes no difference how long they are when they are passing you at 50mph, it is the bow wave and the wake that knock you about.
Edit: I have checked and the cycling utopia that is the Netherlands permits vehicles up to 25.25m and 60 tonnes.
“No hint of irony here in the
“No hint of irony here in the term ‘dumped’ being used”
I’m just impressed they used
I’m just impressed they used “plethora” in a sentence 😉
Sorry to sound like Nigel (I
Sorry to sound like Nigel (I know, not for the first time) but there aren’t too many big trucks on the road, there are just the right amount to move all the stuff we buy.
It’s like car drivers moaning about the traffic completely unaware that they are the traffic.
Large trucks going through places that are inappropriate or dangerous is a different matter of course but even forcing the use of smaller vehicles just means more of them and we swap one evil for another.
NOtotheEU wrote:
Well maybe no surprise then that you sound as lazy and obnoxiuos as Nigel?
There are too many trucks because our whole model is based on minimizing costs and offload as much as possible of those left on the general public, in order to maximize profits, for the few.
Hence the running down of rail services, hence just-in-time delivries, hence globalization of manufacture that sees products shipped around the world many times until they reach their final destination.
And about the amount of stuff we’re made to buy over and above what we really need, that’s also due to that same model of making as much profit as possible to the detriment of everything else.
Apart from the unnecessary
Apart from the unnecessary rudeness I agree with everything you say. But that doesn’t change the fact that products aren’t made because there are a lot of empty trucks lying around, trucks are used to move products that have already been made or grown and you and I buy them. We are all responsible for them being there and the more stuff we buy the more trucks there will be.
“Driver crashes into
“Driver crashes into unfortunate London cycle shop once again”
Unless it was the same driver, shouldn’t this be:
“Another driver crashes into unfortunate London cycle shop”
?
mitsky wrote:
Bit harsh on Dainese to be
(moved to today’s news thread)
A few brilliant, nuanced and
A few brilliant, nuanced and data-backed solutions have been proposed in the Facebook group “Brighton and Hove against ULEZ and LTNs”.
These include:
Free-flowing traffic
Higher speed limit
Convenient free car parking space
No pedestrian crossings or traffic lights
Cycle lanes away from roads
30-60 mile trips
Glad to see you included the tongue-in-cheek “data-backed solutions” in that.
Either those solutions were posted by an awesome mickey taker, or someone so deluded they should be in the department for cars.