A satnav system that warns lorry drivers when they are approaching a danger spot for cyclists in London has been launched.
Navevo’s ProNav HGV Cyclist Alert system uses Transport for London data to warn drivers when they are approaching one of a hundred hotspots where HGVs and cyclists converge around the capital and gives audio and visual warnings to the driver.
In the aftermath of a cyclist being killed by a construction lorry on Victoria Street earlier this month, London Mayor Boris Johnson reaffirmed his wish to ban HGVs from London roads that were not fitted with safety technology that senses the proximity of cyclists which might be in a mirror blind spot.
Currently, such a move to ban unfitted lorries would require a law change, Andrew Gilligan London’s cycling commissioner told BikeRadar last week.
HGVs are disproportionately involved in collisions with cyclists. Statistics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found HGVs were responsible for more than 40 percent of London cyclist deaths.
The following Transport for London video demonstrates clearly how cyclists can go unnoticed in blind spots.
Lorry blindspot video
While cyclist's safety is a key priority in London, the numbers of cycling journeys in London has increased while fatalites have decreased. In 2002 there were 109 million cycling journeys and 20 deaths. In 2011 there were 182 million journeys and 16 cyclists killed.
The company said it plans to add more data to the system and roll it out for other cities around the country.