To post this for road users unaware of upcoming highway code changes

[FluffyBooBoo]

That's loads of info available online, but the AA have done a study that shows that two thirds of people are unaware of the charges.

Photo attached with basic info.

Delivering food should not be at the expense of killing vulnerable road users. Eventually technology will catch up.

If there was a sensor system that could flash if someone was there for example it would make sense

Already driven a truck with side sensors. It was fucking annoying and extremely distracting as it beeps loudly every time I drove around a parked car, close to a railing, passed close to a car in oncoming lane.

10 hours of beep beep beep every few seconds was exhausting.

Personally I sometimes think that everybody who uses the road should have to pass some type of test. Hazard perception at very least.

@TractorAndHeadphones who is saying: "dangerous trucks should taken off the road now at this very moment" even on this thread?

I haven't noticed this. If anyone has said it would you please quote it? I'd be happy to join you in saying that is not workable or desirable.

We all rely on things that can only be delivered by lorries. But we all have to share the roads and be as courteous as possible.

I'm not a professional driver or involved in transport or driving technology. But in the nearly 40 years I've been driving I have noticed massive improvements that have saved millions of lives and perhaps mine. I've no reason to believe these improvements will not stop - do you? Why do you think that is?

I can drive and am a key worker - just not one that has to use a car to deliver my services. But obviously I would if I had to. I wouldn't dare cycle though because people seem to think that if cyclists get squashed that's unavoidable because sight lines and blind spots and things...

@purplesequins

they did a reconstruction, and even with the six mirrors (including one to view the front of the vehicle), because of her height and where she stood, she couldn't be seen by the driver.

frankly, if the driver can't see pedestrians and cyclists properly due to vehicle design the driver should not drive it.

There you go.

[quote limitedperiodonly]@TractorAndHeadphones who is saying: "dangerous trucks should taken off the road now at this very moment" even on this thread?

I haven't noticed this. If anyone has said it would you please quote it? I'd be happy to join you in saying that is not workable or desirable.

We all rely on things that can only be delivered by lorries. But we all have to share the roads and be as courteous as possible.

I'm not a professional driver or involved in transport or driving technology. But in the nearly 40 years I've been driving I have noticed massive improvements that have saved millions of lives and perhaps mine. I've no reason to believe these improvements will not stop - do you? Why do you think that is?

I can drive and am a key worker - just not one that has to use a car to deliver my services. But obviously I would if I had to. I wouldn't dare cycle though because people seem to think that if cyclists get squashed that's unavoidable because sight lines and blind spots and things...[/quote]
I can't quote it but if you search for purplesequin's comments you will see it

Nobody's saying that it's ok for lorries to go along happily squashing anything in their path (you think lorry drivers can live with themselves having killed a human?) but if that's the way the lorry is it's not insensible to take extra care. PP have also discussed incidents of cyclists undertaking alongside huge vehicles.

I'm happy to report that cyclists in my area on the road are well behaved (they're usually more of a threat to pedestrians) and don't attempt any dangerous maneuvers, equally cars give them lots of space. But we have roads designed for cycling with cycle lanes, even if a couple of roads don't have them you're never far from one that does.

I can't say the same for country lanes however

Cars are still by far the biggest risk to cyclists.

Last time I checked cars were also more likely to be the at fault driver during a serious accident involving a HGV and passenger car.

@TractorAndHeadphones so it's one poster on this thread.

Do you seriously anticipate imminent legislation saying "dangerous trucks should be taken off the road now at this very moment."?

I rely on trucks to deliver things to me and many other people in the UK so if you can point me to this ludicrous idea I'd join you in protest.

Meanwhile I trust that we all remain committed to the improvement of road safety and an outbreak of peace between lorry drivers, cyclists and pore old pedestrians. Especially at Christmas.

@EightWheelGirl

Cars are still by far the biggest risk to cyclists.

Only because there are more of them. That's like saying moose are the biggest road hazard in the Arctic Circle.

Only because there are more of them. That's like saying moose are the biggest road hazard in the Arctic Circle.

Point still stands.

An escaped tiger is more dangerous than a human male but I know which I’m more worried about when walking through a dodgy area at night.

That doesn't make any sense.

Though I'm now thinking about whether I should be more scared of an escaped tiger or a man in a dodgy area. I'd be safe from both if I was driving a lorry.

@limitedperiodonly

That doesn't make any sense.

It makes perfect sense. Cars are the biggest threat to cyclists because there are so many, as you said yourself. Just like men (although less dangerous than escaped tigers) are more of a threat because of their abundance.

@EightWheelGirl I've given it a bit of thought but your standpoint still doesn't make sense perfect or otherwise.

Then I'd say it's your powers of comprehension.

I understand the point. I notice though that the statistics don't differentiate between the three types of victim (pedestrian/cyclist/motorcyclist) which could skew the results. Neither does it adjust to reflect the number of vehicles on the road and the mileages done. This study however shows that after adjusting for traffic volume, an HGV poses 30 times the threat a car does. bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-10-699

Either way, the specific risk posed by the nearside of an artic is a serious one. Mandating these signs for all trailers would be a start. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06Y95ZN6R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_S2JQTRTSDAAAB1S927JY?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Encouraging cyclists to move out into the lane properly rather than cycling in the gutter will also help prevent dangerous overtaking.

I wouldn't dare cycle though because people seem to think that if cyclists get squashed that's unavoidable because sight lines and blind spots and things...
@limitedperiodonly I cycle all the time and have managed to avoid being squashed. I treat HGVs with caution and keep well clear.

I generally view all thumping great hunks of metal with powerful engines attached to them as a hazard, lorry or car, but yes sadly I think having to share the roads with lorries, tipper trucks, buses etc, does put alot of people off cycling, however good the drivers are (in my experience bus drivers are consistently the best), and of people I know who have been killed cycling, its been by lorries unfortunately

@Fomofo

I generally view all thumping great hunks of metal with powerful engines attached to them as a hazard, lorry or car, but yes sadly I think having to share the roads with lorries, tipper trucks, buses etc, does put alot of people off cycling, however good the drivers are (in my experience bus drivers are consistently the best), and of people I know who have been killed cycling, its been by lorries unfortunately

The Dutch cycle a lot because of their geography, infrastructure and climate. Compact cities, no hilly areas, cool dry weather. Areas like mine have good cycle lanes etc so plenty of cyclists. Only downside is the rain but it’s otherwise decently set up. Not country roads however, or large dual carriageways not really set up for cycling.

It’s premature to have a conversation about road safety without considering the features of the road in question

The two go hand in hand, and thankfully things are slowly changing, the world is becoming safer for sustainable modes of transport like bicycles, we eventually need to move away from our car centric way of life

@Fomofo

The two go hand in hand, and thankfully things are slowly changing, the world is becoming safer for sustainable modes of transport like bicycles, we eventually need to move away from our car centric way of life

Ah, but the key question that nobody has asked is why is it car centric?

It’s not true that ‘we’ have a car centric way of life if by we you mean the U.K. people don’t really drive in London and it’s common for people to get to 30+ before even taking their driving test.

Conversely where I live now :
Major shops, doctor etc are all a 15 min drive but 40 mins away (at minimum) by public transport thanks to the bus/tram schedule. You could walk or cycle that distance, but it’s unpleasant when you’re sick, or it’s raining heavily and you have a load of shopping. Not to mention carting children around.

Home delivery achieves the goal of no cars on the road but not sure whether transferring stuff to trucks is a good idea.

At the end of the day people love ‘easy’ solutions, ‘small wins’ that signal they’re doing something. They don’t want to look at the bigger picture. And do the hard stuff

When I say we, I mean the world! Yes less people are driving in cities thankfully, there is also the concept of the 20 minute city where everything is within 20 minutes reach which is getting more traction. Walking or cycling in bad weather doesn't really bother me, but then I know I am unusual in that! I also rarely get sick, don't know if the two are connected.

We definitely need a truckers board to compare horror stories 😂😂

@SirChenjins

Who in their right mind would step out in front of a car turning into a junction?! It doesn't really matter if you had a legal right of way if you end up in hospital with a life-changing injury as a result of being hit by a car. Surely you cross in a safe place when there are no cars coming - as was drilled into us all as children, and crossing at a busy junction doesn't seem very safe to me.

Because you might be walking down a busy road, get to a junction and check both ways, the traffic is to your right going past the junction so you step out, only to find a car that hasn't signaled thinks you are psychic and somehow knew they were about to turn.

Actually I was taught pedestrians have priority if they have stepped off the kerb.

Yeah - I used to walk/bike/bus everywhere when I lived in London. Barely ever used car. Now I live in a commuter town and it's just not practical.

We (the government) need to invest in extensive, reliable, affordable public transport if they are actually serious about reducing cars and improving air quality/reducing greenhouse emissions on the roads.
But where I live the bus companies have all been sold off and the council are not allowed to either interfere with or subsidise bus fares due to hangover legislation from 80s tory government (I don't know full details but this is the gist) and it is more expensive to take a bus into town and back - a 4 mile journey - than it would be to travel 3 times as far in London. It's madness.

Also my kids school (the only one they could get into) is not walking distance and would not be safe to walk due to it being in a satellite village along a narrow windy national speed limit road with no pavements. There is a bus service that goes from close to my house to close to the school. The buses run twice an hour EXCEPT between 8-9am when there aren't any at all. Wtf is that all about?!? So I cannot get them to school sustainably and must drive. It messed up.