London Cycling Deaths Up Again

[flecc]

Latest from today's BBC London News is that there have been 14 deaths so far this year, mostly at junctions and 7 involving HGVs, despite all the warnings to cyclists.

In 2009 it was 13 deaths for the whole year, in 2010 it was 10 deaths, so the trend is going the wrong way.

The main causes are well known, dangerous junctions and cyclists stopping alongside left turning lorries at junctions, out of the vision of the driver. The latter deaths, mainly female due to their being less likely to break the law by crossing the stop line of jumping the lights, are avoidable but the advice propaganda just doesn't seem to be sinking in.

Junctions seem to be an intractable problem, the options for alteration being very limited, but it has to be said that not much official effort is being made to date. There are also cases of plain bad driving implicated in the latest deaths.

 

[tillson]

Latest from today's BBC London News is that there have been 14 deaths so far this year, mostly at junctions and 7 involving HGVs, despite all the warnings to cyclists.

The main causes are well known, dangerous junctions and cyclists stopping alongside left turning lorries at junctions, out of the vision of the driver. The latter deaths, mainly female due to their being less likely to break the law by crossing the stop line of jumping the lights, are avoidable but the advice propaganda just doesn't seem to be sinking in.

Junctions seem to be an intractable problem, the options for alteration being very limited, but it has to be said that not much official effort is being made to date. There are also cases of plain bad driving implicated in the latest deaths.

Out of the 14 killed, do you know how many were squashed at junctions?

This nearly happened to me once. I was waiting in a line of traffic positioned about a metre out from the kerb and about 50 metres short of the traffic lights controlling the junction. I thought this was enough to stop a vehicle parking along side of me, but I was wrong, a bus did just that. As we started to move forward and still well short of the junction, the bus pulled into the kerb to such an extent that its tyres started to scrape the kerb stones. Fortunately, I had started to back off and let the bus go ahead of me, but it was close and the experience frightened me a lot. I think the driver forgot that I was there rather than making a deliberate act. This was certainly a lesson learned on my part and I will never get myself into that situation again.

The bus didn't make it through the lights and had to stop again. This allowed me to catch up with the driver and without going into the unpleasent details, I believe that he underwent an equally frightening experience. I hope his memory of events will serve to remind him what can happen if you park your bus with a cyclist on the near side and then forget about them.

 

[flecc]

The mid-day announcement came over as all 14 at junctions, but that might just have been due to the journalistic abbreviation, hence my cautiously saying most. It seems unlikely that every one would be junction related.

That was a scary experience you suffered, I think only to the rear of truck/bus rear axles is safe.
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[Synthman]

A while ago I pulled up at some traffic lights (in the cycle lane) at a junction, these have an area for cyclists right at the front a bit like this:

A coach was there, parked on it. As I passed alongside it I noticed his left indicators were flashing, even though vehicles can't turn left at that particular junction.

I certainly wasn't going to take the risk of him turning through me, so I sped up, got ahead of him, and went through the red light (after looking for traffic) and got away. He didn't turn when the lights went green shortly afterwards.

 

[lemmy]

at a junction, these have an area for cyclists right at the front a bit like this:

Usually full of motor cycles in London.

 

[daudi]

Being a newbie at cycling I am finding Cyclecraft: the complete guide to safe and enjoyable cycling for adults and children by John Franklin very helpful.

 

[lessped]

A while ago I pulled up at some traffic lights (in the cycle lane) at a junction, these have an area for cyclists right at the front a bit like this:

A coach was there, parked on it. As I passed alongside it I noticed his left indicators were flashing, even though vehicles can't turn left at that particular junction.

I certainly wasn't going to take the risk of him turning through me, so I sped up, got ahead of him, and went through the red light (after looking for traffic) and got away. He didn't turn when the lights went green shortly afterwards.

I dont think many drivers know what that road marking means .!

 

[Scottyf]

I just tend to ride aggressively. Seems attack on a cycle works well as well as pushing through all the time. Least the people see you and probably get annoyed your not stuck in the traffic

 

[Mussels]

That was a scary experience you suffered, I think only to the rear of truck/bus rear axles is safe.

As long as you don't forget the overhang at the back of buses turns the opposite way as a bus goes round a corner, I've seen bus drivers forget.

A while ago I pulled up at some traffic lights (in the cycle lane) at a junction, these have an area for cyclists right at the front a bit like this:

That has a stop line at the front, if a vehicle is between lines when the light turns red they must stop in the cycle box.
In London that's the motorbike box and pushbikes go in front of it.

Considering how much bike usage has increased in London I'd expect the percentage of accidents has gone down, but that wouldn't be such a good tagline.

 

[flecc]

As long as you don't forget the overhang at the back of buses turns the opposite way as a bus goes round a corner, I've seen bus drivers forget.

Indeed, this also applies to the many box body trucks with very long overhangs, though I was only posting about the "driver blind" left turn situations which have caused most of the cyclist deaths.

 

[flecc]

Yet another London cyclist death a couple of days ago, once again a young woman, once again at a junction, yet again a lorry involved. Although the 29 year old lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving, that's pretty much routine these days when death occurs and doesn't mean anything at this stage.

London cyclist death roll now: 2009 = 13 ; 2010 = 10 ; 2011 to date = 15

As mentioned with the reasons at the start of this thread, the great majority of the deaths are female.
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[eddieo]

My daughter has just joined the Boris bike scheme and I am always on at her about this and safety at junctions in particular.

On a happier note, she finds the Boris scheme great as she is staying in central London and at a Central University...She hardly ever pays the extra charge as first 30 mins is free, and if she goes any further she just docks the bike for 5 mins and continues her journey....

 

[flecc]

The latest death on Tower Bridge last Friday brought the number of London cyclist deaths this year to 16 to date. Once again it was a female cyclist, they continue to form the great majority. The reasons are well known and heavily publicised, when will they heed the many warnings they've had?. Latest figures now:

2009 = 13 deaths; 2010 = 10 deaths; 2011 = 16 deaths to date.

 

[mike killay]

Flecc,
Are these London only figures?
If so, do you have the UK figures please?

 

[flecc]

These are London only Mike, I don't have the UK figures since the reporting of those deaths is spasmodic. Being in a London borough and seeing London based news makes it easy to track the situation here as it develops.

All I know nationally is that cyclist deaths are usually a little over 100 annually and they are widely variable. In London we have a specific problem with truck/bus versus cyclist situations in which the majority of the cyclist victims are female due to their being more cautious. They mainly suffer though doing the technically correct things which puts them into the most vulnerable and dangerous positions, which breaking the rules or obstructing can avoid.

 

[mike killay]

Thanks Flecc,
I understand the London position and find it amazing that the authorities can be so complacent about a preventable situation. I gather that the danger is left turning lorries and buses, accompanied by pedestrian railings at the edge of the footpath. Is this correct?
In Swansea, cycling is quite rare and many riders use the footpaths. Perhaps that is why we only have two fatalities in the past 11 years.

 

[flecc]

Yes, that's the main reason Mike, left turning at junctions. There's also the odd similar one such as the one before last which was with the cyclist keeping out of sight on the left of a lorry on a roundabout and then getting run over.

The authorities are not complacent about this though. There have been advertising campaigns in the London and home counties press, several features about it on the BBC London News programs, a London ITV "Tonight" half hour program specifically about this, including a full re-enactment of a typical lorry/bicycle left turn situation. There has also been a campaign which has resulted in many lorries in the area having additional n/s mirrors or view expanders fitted, accompanied by publicity directed at the drivers to highlight the danger. It really is the cyclists who need to stop putting themselves into these intrinsically dangerous positions though.

This is why I'm so frustrated that there are still cyclists, mostly female, who are not getting the message or more likely, just not acting on it. Most of the victims are young and it's a terrible waste of life which damages the lives of many others each time.

 

[z0mb13e]

Junctions are always a bad place for cyclists. The other day I pulled up to a junction (coming out of a side road onto a busy main road) to turn right, I positioned myself to the right of the left lane giving cars enough room to turn left but blocking anyone trying to turn right. To my surprise a car driver pulled along side me (to my left) and indicated right!

We both pulled across the junction at the same time (I wasn't going to let this go) and he had no where to go until I was clear and back on the left side of the road. Not a nice experience.

I've also had buses over take me on roundabouts them in the inside lane, me on the outside lane and then swing across to make the exit forcing me into the kerb - that has happened twice this week! The second time I was far enough ahead for the bus driver to have to hold back. He then preceded to try and over take me further down the road. I pulled out to avoid a parked bus and he came up fast behind me beeping and flashing as he did so. I assume he thought I didn't have the right to be on the road. Then at the next traffic light controlled junction that turns left into a bus stop (with access for bikes) He pulled along side just as the lights changed and closed the gap between him and the kerb causing me to stop. He must have been having a bad day!

My wife is a nurse and tells me how the full moon affects the batty patients (they get battier) and I am sure the waxing moon is affecting some drivers!

 

[eTim]

I think if I was a regular commuter and was experiencing problems with 'professional' drivers, I would have a GoPro to capture the ride and when a 'pro' driver is inconsiderate then diligently report them (assuming they all have numbers on the back of the vehicle) using the footage to read the numbers and possibly capture the incident!

I wonder if companies take any notice of drivers reported for poor driving standards?

 

[flecc]

With respect I don't think knocking the drivers will help in this situation.

The very great majority of London cyclists are male, so if it was the drivers wholly to blame for these accidents, the majority killed would be male. The opposite is the truth, the great majority of the victims are female for very well understood reasons. They need to react accordingly for their own sakes.