Pressure is mounting on the police as inquest raises fresh questions over the shooting of a top Chelsea barrister
More...
10,000 lorries are given mirrors to save cyclists' lives
David Williams, Motoring Editor11.03.08
Lorry drivers in London are being handed 10,000 safety mirrors free of charge to help them spot cyclists.
It is a victory for the Evening Standard which demanded the mirrors in its Safer Cycling campaign.
Transport for London will this week hand out the devices, at a cost of around £40,000, to HGV drivers operating in the capital. The "Fresnel lenses" help drivers spot cyclists in their "blind spot", especially when turning left.
TfL says the campaign will tackle the biggest cause of cycle fatalities in the capital. More than half of all cycle deaths on London roads follow collisions with goods vehicles.
Jenny Jones, the Mayor's Road Safety Ambassador, said: "This is one of those simple ideas which will make a huge difference to Londoners' lives. It is a relatively cheap way for lorry drivers to avoid stress for themselves and death and injury to others. All lorries in London should have these lenses and all drivers should be reminded regularly to use them."
David Brown, Managing Director of Surface TfL, said: "Our new cycle safety campaign is designed to give both cyclists and goods vehicles drivers the tools they need to be safe and be seen on London's roads."
The decision to give away the lenses - costing £4 each - was welcomed by the London Cycling Campaign and the Freight Transport Association.
LCC spokesman Charlie Lloyd said: "We urge all freight operators in London to use these lenses which will help drivers see cyclists on their left side and remind them of their responsibility to ensure the safety of all vulnerable road users. The next step is for the Department for Transport to expedite fitting of EU standard safety mirrors on all large lorries in the UK."
To get the safety message home, TfL is launching a TV ad highlighting the dangers that trucks pose to cyclists.
It is also handing bicycle riders windup bicycle lights to make them more visible, while promoting free or subsidised adult cycle training.
Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "Cycling in London is getting much safer but one issue that has been very difficult to address until now is the fact more than half of cyclist fatalities on the capital's roads involve a collision with a goods vehicle. These safety lenses are a simple measure that will help drivers to see cyclists."
The Evening Standard demanded cycle safety mirrors in trucks in its 12-point charter calling for better safety and security for the capital's cyclists. The campaign was launched in April last year.
According to TfL, one cyclist is killed or seriously injured on the capital's roads each day.
Link to:
Reader views (18)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
Fully support all aids to safety for all road users; but also take issue with an attitude which fails to take responsibility for own safety; what on earth is anyone doing cycling up on the inside of a bus or lorry - just wait for them to get out of the way - and what was the cyclist doing on the pavement this morning on Talgarth road, belling and shouting at me to get out of his way? All vehicles including bicycles should to made to carry visible registration plates and be properly insured.
- Shelagh, London
About time too, although lorry owners should be made to pay the costs, not Londoners.
Most lorries have room on the mirror frames for a secondary mirror to see down the Lower side of the vehicle.
All we need to do now, is get the drivers to use them.
- Terry, london, uk
This is a very commendable action by TFL and will go some way to making the daily commute a bit safer. However, the real issue for me is the standard of the road surface, particularly where contractors have been digging recently (water I think). The condition of some roads such as Old Broad St is actually dangerous for cyclists either hitting potholes or swerving to avoid them. I would have thought that anyone digging up a road could be obliged to leave it as or better than they found it.
- Jon, Chelmsford
