Pedestrian killed outside Lambeth Town Hall, helicopter in attendance

[boohoo]

Always have my camera.

Shall i do some more?

I took some great photos whilst on bumper cars but got more bruises then I would like! The pains of taking photos!

 

[co-op]

Shouldn't the thread title be changed? It wasn't a cyclist that was killed.

I've lost track.
What would be an appropriate title? I'll change it.

It seems it was a pedestrian who was killed on Acre Lane but there was a fair amount of confusion before that was clarified.

http://thebikeshow.net/lorries-kill-twice-in-one-day-on-london-streets/

 

[Gixxer1000]

100% agree. There should be wide-angle mirrors in addition, which allow a full view round the side of the lorry, even when turning.

The problem is they are so distorted to be rendered useless, a bit like the fresnel lens "solution". The barrier alarm (a radar type setup) installed in some fleets is largely discredited.
Currently a lot of Commercial drivers in London now attend a days training course on vulnerable road users, unfortunately cyclist education is confined to the "changing places" type initiatives where cyclists sit in the cab of a vehicle. As someone who on a weekly basis cycles/rides a motorbike/drives in Central London I can impartially say that the general standard of cyclists hazard awareness and road positioning is very poor.

 

[T & P]

Precisely. The ideological anti-cycling idiots like Pickmans and ajdown etc always like to assume that cyclists are to blame for being in a "blind spot" - particularly ironic for wannabe lefties like pickmans who would be frothing all over the shop if these kind of killings were taking place in a workplace rather than in public space. But if cyclists are using the edge of the road and lorries overtake them it is the lorry that puts them in that position - and I don't know any cyclist who hasn't been cut up by one. Given that the average speed of lorries is no faster than bicycles in London they shouldn't be overtaking at all.

Simplistic analysis co-op. Average speed is meaningless since there will be countless situations in which the road is reasonably clear and the speed of motor vehicles conditions allow at the time will be considerably higher.

Of course Lorries should be allowed to overtake in many situations, just as bikes to undertake. But the fact remains that in certain situations it is both unnecessary and reckless for bikes to undertake large vehicles.

No road user is either always blameless or always at fault by default.

 

[Crispy]

As someone who on a weekly basis cycles/rides a motorbike/drives in Central London I can impartially say that the general standard of cyclists hazard awareness and road positioning is very poor.

I can say exactly the same from a cyclist's perspective. I can't remember the last time I did my commute without thinking "you stupid fucker " as someone wobbled into a gap between bus and railings, or pulled out without a shoulder check, etc.

 

[TruXta]

No road user is either always blameless or always at fault by default.

The rest was good but that ruined it. Honestly you cannot think of relevant and realistic counter-examples?

 

[T & P]

The rest was good but that ruined it. Honestly you cannot think of relevant and realistic counter-examples?

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand you mean. I was simply addressing some posters' comments that appear to suggest that blame in an accident should always lay on a certain type of road user simply because they are a lot less vulnerable than some other type of road users due to the vehicle they operate.

 

[TruXta]

That wasn't quite how you put it though? Or when you said road-user, did you mean a particular type of road-user rather than any specific person involved in an incident? Because undoubtedly sometimes there's only one guilty party.

 

[T & P]

I meant a type of road user defined by what their mode of transport is (lorry, car, bike, pedestrian etc) rather than specific individuals. Sorry if it did not come across clear.

 

[TruXta]

Gotcha.

 

[Struwwelpeter]

As someone who on a weekly basis cycles/rides a motorbike/drives in Central London I can impartially say that the general standard of road users' hazard awareness and road positioning is very poor.

Corrected for you.

Sorry to be cheeky, but it's across the board. I see terrible examples from everyone, everyday. The thing that's puzzling is that cyclists have the most to lose.

 

[nick h.]

Corrected for you.

Sorry to be cheeky, but it's across the board. I see terrible examples from everyone, everyday. The thing that's puzzling is that cyclists have the most to lose.

It does appear puzzling, but I think I have the answer. After several stints of despatch riding and quite a lot of cycling and driving of cars and non-HGV lorries my theory is that cyclists can afford to be reckless because most are only doing 10 or 15 mph. They have lots and lots of accidents but they're rarely hospitalized because of the low speed and how seldom they land on their head. That's basically why so few die. So even when they cycle terribly they rarely have more to lose than the skin off a knee or elbow. Motorcyclists and scooterists have much more to lose because they're going much faster. If you do a full day's despatch riding in London you generally happen upon one or two ambulances scooping somebody up after an accident. The casualty is nearly always a motorbike or scooter rider. Occasionally it's a cyclist, and almost never a car driver.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I've pondered what you say and cast my mind back to every accident I've witnessed or chanced upon the aftermath and I think you're right. Also cycling is something that's seen as something even a child can do.

 

[Gixxer1000]

Corrected for you.

Sorry to be cheeky, but it's across the board. I see terrible examples from everyone, everyday. The thing that's puzzling is that cyclists have the most to lose.

Accepted.

 

[Ms T]

I can say exactly the same from a cyclist's perspective. I can't remember the last time I did my commute without thinking "you stupid fucker " as someone wobbled into a gap between bus and railings, or pulled out without a shoulder check, etc.

It's the number of people who cycle without lights at night or in poor light that gets me. Insane.