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Cyclist dies in London rush hour traffic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22063925

What are your thoughts?

For me if the tipper truck was indicating to turn left why was she down the side of it? It's like driving you don't overtake a car indicating to turn right as you will have an accident its the same for cyclists why go down the side of the vehicle when it is turning. If you go down the side of a vehicle which is indicating to turn then frackly you deserve what happens for your stupidity. If it wasn't indicating to turn then he should be arrested for it but if it was indicating then it is the cyclists fault

They are talking about banning trucks etc from London city centre or something I read somewhere on another article about this story which is stupid to be honest because you should be mindful of your surroundings and watch.

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Reply 1
Original post by scorpion95
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22063925

What are your thoughts?

For me if the tipper truck was indicating to turn left why was she down the side of it? It's like driving you don't overtake a car indicating to turn right as you will have an accident its the same for cyclists why go down the side of the vehicle when it is turning. If you go down the side of a vehicle which is indicating to turn then frackly you deserve what happens for your stupidity. If it wasn't indicating to turn then he should be arrested for it but if it was indicating then it is the cyclists fault

They are talking about banning trucks etc from London city centre or something I read somewhere on another article about this story which is stupid to be honest because you should be mindful of your surroundings and watch.


Until more of the facts are known there is no point in speculating or laying blame.

Personally when cycling I avoid going up the inside or outside of lorries and buses whether they are indicating or not. Just isn't worth the risk.
Reply 2
Original post by dhr90
Until more of the facts are known there is no point in speculating or laying blame.

Personally when cycling I avoid going up the inside or outside of lorries and buses whether they are indicating or not. Just isn't worth the risk.


Agreed I do the same,
Reply 3
Cyclists are generally the stupidest and most dangerous people on the road.
Reply 4
After working in central london for a good couple of months now I've come to realise that cyclists really don't like to stop! Cyclists like this cause accidents.
Had a couple of near misses when I was cycling through London rush hour traffic every day.
You need to be a good cyclist and plan well ahead to survive - literally.
Original post by scorpion95
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22063925

What are your thoughts?

For me if the tipper truck was indicating to turn left why was she down the side of it? It's like driving you don't overtake a car indicating to turn right as you will have an accident its the same for cyclists why go down the side of the vehicle when it is turning. If you go down the side of a vehicle which is indicating to turn then frackly you deserve what happens for your stupidity. If it wasn't indicating to turn then he should be arrested for it but if it was indicating then it is the cyclists fault

They are talking about banning trucks etc from London city centre or something I read somewhere on another article about this story which is stupid to be honest because you should be mindful of your surroundings and watch.



I'm sorry, but where does it say in the article that she rode down the side of the truck?
I have had plenty of experiences where I have pulled up at a junction without an advanced stop line only for a truck to pull up along side of me with its left hand indicator blinking and me in its mirror blind spot.
As somebody said, if they stop these vehicles during the morning and evening rush hours, deaths would drop.
Something that nobody has touched on is that these tipper trucks are payed by the load delivered and not by the hour, so there is a built in reason for them to tear arse through the rushour traffic to get as many runs in as possible.
Reply 7
So someone riding a bike in a busy city was knocked off and killed.


Wow. That sure sounds like NEWS!112 to me.
Reply 8
Original post by concubine
So someone riding a bike in a busy city was knocked off and killed.


Wow. That sure sounds like NEWS!112 to me.


He was an influential climate change researcher from UCL. Bring on the conspiracy theory’s!
I still don't understand cyclists who think they have any chance of competing with multi-ton vehicles on roads designed and maintained with those vehicles in mind.

Yeah vehicles have a role to play in road safety but cyclists just need to be more acutely aware that they're effectively bringing a knife to a gun fight and playing on the opponent's home turf.

When I use my bicycle I stick to pavements/paths where possible. I still get to where I want to be fast enough, I don't create nuisances for vehicular traffic and most importantly, I'm not getting sucked under the bumper and wheels of a metalic speeding box.

I prefer my chances in a potential cyclist on pedestrian collision, which I don't have because I always slow down and even dismount if pedestrians are too thick and heavy on the path.

Oh and I'd never cycle in London, it doesn't need saying that the roads and streets in London are not...optimal for the role they fill.
(edited 10 years ago)
There should really be fences on the roads/pavements for cyclists. The amount of deaths of cyclists per year on the roads is ridiculous.
Original post by scorpion95
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22063925

What are your thoughts?

For me if the tipper truck was indicating to turn left why was she down the side of it? It's like driving you don't overtake a car indicating to turn right as you will have an accident its the same for cyclists why go down the side of the vehicle when it is turning. If you go down the side of a vehicle which is indicating to turn then frackly you deserve what happens for your stupidity. If it wasn't indicating to turn then he should be arrested for it but if it was indicating then it is the cyclists fault

They are talking about banning trucks etc from London city centre or something I read somewhere on another article about this story which is stupid to be honest because you should be mindful of your surroundings and watch.


Has it not occurred to you that she may have already been alongside the lorry before it started to indicate?

I see it far too frequently, people who start indicating at the exact same moment they start turning, instead of having their indicators on well before the corner, which gives other motorists a good amount of time to see it and react.

If the cyclist had already been alongside the lorry before it indicated then this was likely to have been caused by the driver either not checking his mirrors properly, or the lorry being set up in such a way that it left a large blind spot which she was in.
Reply 12
Original post by Dragonfly07
There should really be fences on the roads/pavements for cyclists. The amount of deaths of cyclists per year on the roads is ridiculous.


That would help but I see cyclists do so many stupid things. They think the rules of the road dont apply to them. Today a road had engineering works so they had those temporary traffic lights up. The lights were red and the cars stop and yet a cyclist just runs right through it as if the lights dont apply to them. Like I said in my previous post cyclists really dont like to stop! This makes me angry, just stop like everyone else.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 13
Surprising, I thought the average speed of vehicles in central London was 7mph or something like that. Poor cyclist and their family.
Reply 14
Original post by caravaggio2
I'm sorry, but where does it say in the article that she rode down the side of the truck?
I have had plenty of experiences where I have pulled up at a junction without an advanced stop line only for a truck to pull up along side of me with its left hand indicator blinking and me in its mirror blind spot.
As somebody said, if they stop these vehicles during the morning and evening rush hours, deaths would drop.
Something that nobody has touched on is that these tipper trucks are payed by the load delivered and not by the hour, so there is a built in reason for them to tear arse through the rushour traffic to get as many runs in as possible.


Then why not at the junction be in the middle of the lane which would help stop it from happening?? Yeah you might annoy drivers but then you are commanding the road then and being safer
Original post by Joeman560
Cyclists are generally the stupidest and most dangerous people on the road.


Yes because a small metal frame plus person can inflict a lot of damage on road users surrounded by layers protection :rolleyes:
This is really sad.

I cycle in London and there needs to be more advice about it. The borris bikes have made everyone think it's ok to just jump on a bike with no helmet and no idea of the roads work. It's really dangerous even if you know what you're doing but undertaking lorries and buses is pretty much the worst thing to ever do.
Large vehicles have no way of seeing what's by their side.

Original post by scorpion95
Then why not at the junction be in the middle of the lane which would help stop it from happening?? Yeah you might annoy drivers but then you are commanding the road then and being safer


I agree with this, you should always move to the middle of the lane at junctions.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 17
Original post by therisenmitten
Yes because a small metal frame plus person can inflict a lot of damage on road users surrounded by layers protection :rolleyes:


Its dangerous for the cyclist and anyone around that area because vehicles might end up swerving onto the the pavement.
Original post by rjm101
Its dangerous for the cyclist and anyone around that area because vehicles might end up swerving onto the the pavement.


Your comment that cyclists are more dangerous has no justification. Some are dangerous, but so are some drivers.

Overall the risk of death is greater for cyclists so naturally they are more careful. Daily people cut me off whilst texting, speaking on mobiles, applying lipstick etc. Car driver's are in a safe bubble and sometime forget to concentrate on what's going on around them.
Reply 19
Original post by Joeman560
Cyclists are generally the stupidest and most dangerous people on the road.


Stupidest I can't decide on, I see a lot of stupid drivers and cyclists. It's easier for a cyclist to make stupid decisions as they have more to make than drivers.

As for most dangerous I think that's ludicrous. How can a 80kg slow moving vehicle be more dangerous than 6 tonne one moving at 30mph? In case you don't believe me here are some stats from BBC from 2001-2009:


Killed by cycles: 18
Seriously injured by cycles: 434
Killed by cars: 3,495
Seriously injured by cars: 46,245



Original post by Dragonfly07
There should really be fences on the roads/pavements for cyclists. The amount of deaths of cyclists per year on the roads is ridiculous.


Fences by the side of the roads? All that would do make it harder to escape when a driver turns left in front of you, as in this case for example (potentially).

Original post by dhr90
Until more of the facts are known there is no point in speculating or laying blame.

Personally when cycling I avoid going up the inside or outside of lorries and buses whether they are indicating or not. Just isn't worth the risk.


Agree with the left hand side, although occasionally I'll do it when I can see my exit and the traffic is not going anywhere for a bit (e.g. 5 cars behind a red light)

However, I'll happily go round the outside, its unlikely that you'll get trapped here, since you have a lot more space on the right (obviously depends how close the oncoming traffic is, but generally its ok). Also the driver can see you a lot easier on his right, but I admit it shouldn't have to come to that.



And to balance things out, here's a video of some silly cyclists :smile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQS5ANu1uQ8

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