HGVs and cyclists. Gail Porter helps to launch a new road safety campaign with an interesting survey. Biglorryblog has the story!

• 09 August 2010
• By Biglorryblog

Hello says Biglorryblog..who's that in the truck mirror? Well if you're into celebrity cyclist spotting I have saved this in 'Expando-Vision' so click on the mage to see it bigger and have a guess at who it might be..Otherwise, if you can't work it out I have the answer right here by clicking through.....

Yes it's the gorgeous Gail Porter (as if I needed to tell you) and keen cyclist Ms P has been busy launching a new campaign that calls for HGV drivers to have cycle awareness training, for cyclists to be encouraged to take cycle training to cope with busy urban roads, and for more investment in the design of cycle-friendly roads. Sounds sensible to me and I've always said that what's good for HGV drivers is good for cyclists two---both groups of road users need to be aware of each other and abocve all else avoid mutual finger pointing.

The new campaign has been launched by Gail on behalf of Russell Jones & Walker, personal injury specialists, with support from CTC, the UK's national cyclists' organisation, which plans to bring cyclists and lorry drivers together.  On average, every year approximately eight cyclists a year are killed by lorries in London and about 28 are killed by lorries across the UK, with 70% of these in urban areas. A nationwide, independent survey* conducted on behalf of Russell Jones & Walker, questioned both HGV drivers and cyclists, with the key findings:

·                       73% of HGV drivers worried most about sharing the road with a cyclist more than any other road user

·                       72% of HGV drivers said cyclists should undertake cycle training

·                       98% of cyclists don't feel safe on the road all of the time

·                       53% of HGV drivers felt there should be more cycle lanes

·                       35% of cyclists felt that lorries posed a considerable threat to them when on the road

Following the recent launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire, which aims to generate up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day in central London by providing 5,000 cycles for hire, Paul Kitson, a claimant personal injury specialist with Russell Jones & Walker with particular expertise in cycling injury claims said: "The launch of Boris Johnson's Barclay Cycle Hire scheme in central London is even more of reason to draw attention to the relationship between cyclists and HGV drivers in urban areas, and call for positive change.

"All adult cyclists across the UK should have access to national standards cycle training, so that they have the confidence and skills to cycle safely on today's busy urban roads.   "The 2 Way Street survey has explored, for the first time ever, the relationship between cyclists and lorry drivers and most importantly we now have proof that both parties want more or less the same things so they can share happily the same roads."

Rinku Grewal, of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, which is backing the campaign, added: "Roads are busy places and people are usually intent on getting to their destinations with as little inconvenience to themselves as possible. Hazards for all users arise when individuals have less regard than they perhaps ought to have for other road users. In particular, vehicles which are larger and heavier pose much greater potential threat to those who are more exposed to the environment through which they are travelling, that is to say walkers and cycle users. It is incumbent on all road users to have as their first regard the safety of fellow travellers."

Chris Peck, a campaigner from CTC, added: "The CTC would like to see: cycle awareness training for all HGV drivers and access to national standards cycle training; an improvement in the design of HGVs to eliminate blind spots; the adoption of side guards and side indicator repeaters on all HGVs; the restriction of lorries on narrow streets and urban areas and more investment in cycle friendly road design, including quality cycle lanes in the correct places."

 Anyone wishing to obtain advice on the subject of cycling safely on urban roads should go to www.rjw.co.uk/2waystreet.

Meanwhile, BLB has also posted up a number of YouTube clips showing the Brigade sideways looking radar system for urban truck operators which aare well worth looking at .