New mirrors spearhead London bike safety drive

9 comments
By Richard Peace | Wednesday, Jul 7, 2010 1.45pm

Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) have announced three new measures to tackle the problem of cyclists being injured and killed by lorries in London.

These are: a six-month trial of street cycle safety mirrors; a new awareness campaign aimed at cyclists; and the signing of an agreement with the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

The first Trixi cycle safety mirror to be trialled in a UK city has been installed at a traffic signal in Tooting. These mirrors are designed to give drivers of large vehicles better visibility of cyclists at junctions.

In total, 39 of them will be installed across London for a six-month trial period. The vast majority (37) will be on the Barclays Cycle Superhighways pilot routes, with 31 due to be put in place before the scheme launches on 19 July.

The mirrors are named after a Swiss cyclist, 13-year-old Beatrix Willburger, who was struck and seriously injured by a left turning lorry. Her father has campaigned for their use across Europe.

The issue of lorry-cyclist safety has been highlighted by several incidents in London this year. Last month, a woman was taken to hospital after becoming trapped between a construction lorry and metal railings. In the first three months of 2010 alone, at least three people died in collisions with trucks.

Nigel Hardy, TfL’s Cycle Superhighways project director, said: "These (mirrors) provide a much better view around the vehicle for HGV drivers. It’s also another form of advertising to the driver to check their mirrors, and to cyclists that they should not be on the left-hand side of vehicles."

Asked about the thinking behind the Superhighways, Mr Hardy said the two trial routes were selected by observing ‘the desire lines’ used by cyclists travelling to and from work. He said around 5,000 people a day are already using these two routes, which "we would like to increase by around 20,000 people a day within the next three years".

Backing up the mirrors is a new poster campaign that illustrates the potentially deadly situation cyclists put themselves in if they ride up the left-hand side of lorries at junctions.

And a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed that commits the Mayor, TfL and FTA to working together to improve cycle safety in London by doing the following:

  • Identifying specific locations and times of the day where loading/unloading or commercial vehicle routing might conflict with cycle routes.
  • Identifying training needs for all road users, particularly cyclists and drivers of large vehicles.
  • Examining road traffic enforcement and engineering measures to find a balance between their enforceability and practicality.

TfL are encouraging cyclists and those thinking about starting to commute on two wheels to watch a new two-minute film that reiterates the main point of the safety campaign – "Never pass large vehicles on the inside at junctions – the driver just can’t see you there." You can watch it below:

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User Comments

There are 9 comments on this post

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  • The point about mobiles is very pertinent: the majority of people I see riding without sufficient control over their bike are on mobiles. I also think that the video is a bit long, with too many messages to take on board at once. Either make it shorter or make a few that focus on a couple of key points each.

  • Two Suggestion

    1) Cyclist thank drivers who overtake sensibly. I do this and it seems the drivers who see me thank someone always give me a lot of space...maybe I wobble? Maybe they think of me less as a blob and more as a person.

    2) In order to drive / have an HGV liscence you should take your cycling proficiency test on the open road where you work/deliver. For HGV drivers this should be regular, say biannual and for normal liscence holders say every 5 years. Exemptions for medical reasons only and have to retake driving liscence instead.

  • Why isn't the last point DO wear a helmet..

    Wearing one will significantly up your percentage of survival in an RTA

  • All well and good, but they rely on the driver actually bothering to use them.

  • Also consider this....

    Cyclists have been 'given' an advance stop line (ASL) at some junctions because it's safer to be right at the front of a queue of traffic not in the middle, owing to that you can get squashed between vehicles if someone doesn't notice you or stop in time.

    So to get to that ASL you have either to ride up the outside of a row of traffic, basically going into the other lane or up the inside and get crushed!

    So which is it MEANT to be hahaha!?

  • What the video needs is more examples of how to ride in specific circumstances. Ie when the road has traffic on both side how are you meant to pass down it.

    Also I dont really get the ambulance one ? Is the cross for the cyclist/driver ?

    The driver seems to over take when there is nt room, then the cyclist gets blamed.

    What should of really happened is the ambulance driver stayed behind till there was room to over take.

  • Two problems:

    1) the only way to get to the green cycle section at the front of the lights on a two lane road is along the left of a bus or truck, the lights often change before you can get there. Staying behind a bus or truck is worse stil as you can see nothing and the driver behind almost always is on top of you while you swallow bus or truck fumes (various places on new kings road)

    2) by far the two worst types of driver in london are firstly licensed minicabs, who stop, turn and overtake without warning indicators or even basic attention to the road, and secondly busses that pull out when you are overtaking them even though they were still indicating a stop when you started to pass them (putney bridge) cuttimg you up at bus stops, or completely cutting off cycle lanes in new kings road and putney bridge road.

    Both these types of drivers are not only the worst culprits I find, morever they are thr ones most under tfl's control!

    2) the two most cycle unfriendly drivers in london are first licensed minicabs

  • I stopped someone (only just-in-time) from going up the inside of a car transporter turning left this morning.

    Looked like a summer cyclist and he had just not appreciated the danger he was in.

    The more info out there the better.

  • I agree with cborman buses and taxis just have little idea.

    I propose that as part of the driving licence test a driver MUST have to do a supervised commute into London over a couple of miles and back. It's the only way they 'll see our side. Most of us drive and recognise the problems.. Everybody should be forced to understand cycling in traffic.

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