Lorry stickers to warn cyclists of undertaking

Council vehicles in Camden will display warning signs on back windscreens reading "Cyclists - beware of passing this vehicle on the inside."

The pilot scheme follows a spate of accidents in which riders have been trapped between pavement railings and a truck or bus turning left.

Chris Lines, head of road safety for Transport for London - which supplied the stickers and hopes to extend the scheme across the capital - said it would encourage drivers and riders to be more vigilant.

"We are making progress in cutting the number of cyclists hurt on London's roads, but the number involved in collisions with large vehicles is still too high," he said. "By working with Camden, I hope we can get the message out to cyclists to be careful when riding near larger vehicles, and also to help drivers to watch out for cyclists."

Latest figures show the number of serious injuries from cycling accidents in London has almost doubled in six years. In 2000/01, 422 riders were admitted to hospital, but in 2006/07 the numberwas 819.

The biggest rises were in Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Kingston, Havering and Camden.

Last year there were 21 serious cycling accidents in Camden and one fatality. There were also 132 minor injuries.

Mike Greene, Camden's executive member for the environment, said many were caused by driver blind spots.

He said the council had responded by installing special wide mirrors on its bus fleet. The mirrors help to improve a driver's vision of cyclists and pedestrians who come close to their vehicle.

Mr Greene added: "We encourage cycling in Camden, both to help the environment and improve public health, and we want to make sure cycling is as safe as possible. These new safety measures will make our roads safer for everyone who shares them."

About half of cyclists who die on the roads every year are involved in a collision with a heavy goods vehicle.

The Evening Standard introduced its Safer Cycling Campaign last year after a series of deaths, including that of jewellery designer Emma Foa in King's Cross as she rode from her home in Hampstead Heath to work in Clerkenwell.

The 56-year-old, who was wearing a ref lector jacket and helmet, was crushed by a two-tonne lorry as it turned left. Her daughter Lia, a children's books editor, has since called for compulsory training for bus and lorry drivers to prevent more accidents.

She said: "Buses and trucks are doubly dangerous because of the problem of visibility from the cabs, their length, the tight corners they often negotiate and the immense power they wield Those who control them should be fully aware of the dangers and the safest way to drive, and their employers should provide the necessary training."

A spokesman for the London Cycling Campaign said: "Stickers are all very well but we would like to see more done. Drivers need to be given cycle training to better understand what it is like to be a cyclist on the streets. All large vehicles need to have proximity mirrors to minimise blind spots."