Advice for us all; cycling safely with lorries in London

Last week a brilliant young woman was killed by a truck in central London as she rode to work by bicycle.  Dr Katharine Giles becomes the third cyclist to die in central London in 2013, and the 62nd cyclist to die in London since our current Mayor, Boris Johnson, took up office in May 2008.

Following Dr Gile's death some soundbites from Boris have been receiving a lot of press attention; "In future we are going to be stipulating that no HGV can enter London unless it meets cycle safety standards" he has said, effectively mooting a ban of trucks that don't come up to his standards.  Whilst this is welcome, soundbites are worthless unless they're followed up with action.  He said the same back in 2010, this time on account of the pollution that some lorries cause, but failed to match his words with results.  Meanwhile the needless tally of deaths has risen; who remembers the case of Jao Lopes, the HGV driver who got away with a slap on the wrist for running down cyclist Eilidh Cairns in Notting Hill, only to kill again, this time crushing 97 year old Holocaust survivor Nora Guttmann on a pedestrian crossing?

Lorries pose a very distinct and dangerous threat to cyclists; they account for about 45% of all London cyclist’s death, but just 5% of traffic. The British Medical Journal, in their 1994 study ‘Death of Cyclists in London’ said “the risk of heavy goods vehicles being involved in accidents in which cyclists die in inner London can be estimated at five times that of buses, 14 times that of light goods vehicles, and 30 times that of cars.”  That report recommended an urban lorry ban some nineteen years and many cyclist’s deaths ago. 

A combination of unscrupulous payment practices whereby some drivers are paid per load, a distinctly criminal element that runs through the haulage industry, and the fact that most drivers (no matter how careful) can't actually see the vulnerable road users around them, combine to ensure that HGVS are the most dangerous vehicles on the roads, and account for a shocking level of deaths.

A three-pronged approach is needed to stop these unnecessary deaths; strong prosecution of the law by the Met, installation of cheap and effective safety equipment like sensors, mirrors and side guards, and most importantly an adjustment of the operating hours of the London Lorry Ban.  Ludicrously, the overnight ban ends as the morning rush hour starts, meaning the most dangerous vehicles on our road come roaring out of their yards just when people are cycling to school or work.

The Olympics showed we can use and control our road network more dynamically without adverse effects. It is time for the Mayor to show real resolve on this tragic issue, before another needless fatality involving an HGV.

Until such action is taken, it is essential that all cyclists in London are fully aware that there is no such thing as a safe HGV to cycle around: most of the time trucks cannot see you, their drivers cannot hear you, and they will not feel you if you are caught up in their wheels.  Until the source of danger is reduced, I think we owe it to ourselves - and to all our friends who ride bikes - to ensure we know how best to ride around lorries:

Above: How many bicycles can you see in the wing mirror of this truck from the driver's position?

The same truck, photographed from the outside; none of these cyclists were visible from inside, and all of them are in fatal danger.  This excellent demonstration of lorry blind spots was by BBC London transport correspondent Tom Edwards in his recent harrowing TV report.

Of course, I am absolutely against any idea of blaming the victim – many of the cyclists who have died as a consequence of HGV collisions have been accomplished cyclists acting within the law (Indeed, 7 London cycle couriers have died as a consequence of collisions with HGVs and lorries in recent years, and it’s arguable that they are the most knowledgeable cyclists on our roads.)  The simple fact is this; cyclists and large vehicles sharing the same piece of road is a source of conflict – sometimes with awful consequences.  And I know from what I see every day when riding that it is obvious not all cyclists in London are fully aware of the risks of getting too close to trucks, or riding down their inside.

Stay back, or get ahead.

There's not much you can do to stop lorries overtaking you when moving forward with traffic, but there is plenty you can do to manage your personal safety at junctions; statistically the scene of most fatal interactions between HGVs and bicycles.

In a sick twist of road planning irony, the advanced stop line (or ASL, or "bike box") and filter lane that you find at most traffic lights in London is exactly the same shape as the blind spot of most lorries.  Furthermore, cycling down the filter lane of an ASL past the inside of a truck puts you in the crush zone should that truck start to turn left.

The advice is this; if you are approaching a set of traffic lights and there are already lorries waiting at the lights ahead of you (remember, they may be about to turn even though they're not indicating) then stay back.  Do not go down the side of the vehicle under any circumstances.  Hold back in traffic and wait for the truck to move on and complete its turn when the lights turn green - remember that larger or articulated lorries may have to pull a long way out to the left before turning right, and vice versa.  Be patient, and give the truck lots of room.

A typical lorry blind spot - look familiar?

If you're at the traffic lights waiting and a truck pulls up behind you, try to get ahead of it as much as you can.  There is a large blind spot in front of the driver's cab which you may not be aware you are in.  Try to get at least 5 metres ahead of the lorry, and don't be afraid to turn and give the driver eye contact, or even a little wave to make sure they note your position.  Better still, consider dismounting your bike and walking across the junction if you are turning left or right.  Contentious though it is, if it is clear and safe for you to jump the red light without threatening any pedestrians you should consider doing so.  (And before anyone gets on their high horse I've been given this very advice on several occasions by road traffic investigators; the Police who have to come and take deceased cyclists off of the road)

Always remember; if the truck is ahead, stay back.  

If the truck is behind, get ahead.

In a nutshell, try to put as much clear space between yourself and any large vehicles at junctions as you safely can.

I'm going to be sitting down and talking to a couple of my friends who cycle to work over lunch today and making sure they're all fully aware of this information, as well as having a "refresher" chat with my partner when I get home.  If we all do the same, and help to spread the word of how to interact with trucks, perhaps we can help to limit cyclists in London's exposure to danger, whilst we wait for our politicians and leaders to limit the source of it.

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