Did a long post on Moving target it may still be on clip board (Ctrl+E P…) bugger! Just go there & read it I was on scene just after a fatality in 2000 and the going up the inside image could have been used but this cyclist was in the nearside lane on London Wall and the truck driver took a wide lazy turn from the right hand side of the carriageway into the narrow lane on the left. Most of my nearside nasties with buses (fortunatly mostly buses) happen when I’m pulled in on for a bus stop or cut over on a corner, and the slab side/windows are easier to punch and wake up the driver/uspet the passengers, and as a last resort you can lean the bars into the flat side and score a big mark down the side – unfortunately this is not possible for most trucks. I think that the figure for buses hitting cyclists is about the same as HGV’s but the ‘friendlier’ exterior and possibly slower speeds mean that the severity of injuries is mush less.

Fully endorse thinking about a Pentonville Road Westbound audit.

I have now recieved a response to my letter of complaint about this to the one-stop-complaints service at Westminster Council. Impressed by the speed of the response. They have replied saying they took up the issue with a senior Onyx manager, who investigated the matter and interviewed the driver and his supervisor. The driver admitted he was using his mobile phone, and apologised. The letter goes on to say that Onyx of course strongly condemn such behaviour and disciplinary action has been taken against the driver, who will also be subject to close monitoring over the next few weeks to ensure he is driving safely.

It also says the supervisor would like to apologise for his remarks and has admitted they were inappropriate. (Hmmm). He has been warned about his conduct and the proper way to deal with complaints from the public. (ahem – it was not just a question of style though – more of his belief that the driver had done nothing wrong!)

Adhering to speed limits and not using mobile phones whilst driving ARE.
and all for good reason..

Pedestrians are not required to wear helmets of hi-vis, and we all understand these accidents are caused by the Drivers not looking. And that’s the point; they are not looking. Whether you arew wearing hi-vis, black skin suit, a clown’s outfit or butt-naked. THEY ARE NOT USING THIER EYES TO LOOK AT YOU

We were on a two-lane carriageway, with the outer lane free, and she still gave me about six inches of room – she was also travelling at approximately ten to twenty miles per hour over the speed limit. Quite happy in her verbal and gestured abuse, she accelerated away from me feeling safe in her metal cocoon. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t bank on the fact that I can hit 30mph on that stretch when out of the saddle. She got a hell of a shock when I pulled up next to her outside her house. After the usual blame the cyclist for even daring to enter the territory of the internal combustion engine, I received a full and sincere apology (may have something to do with the fact that when her husband came out to offer me some threatening muscle, I explained the situation calmly but assertively; he looked at her in disgust, shrugged his shoulders and returned indoors!).

I don’t like bullies and I don’t let myself be bullied. But I worried afterwards that I’d perhaps bullied this woman – then I thought about her appalling driving, which was entirely deliberate.

On Harrow Road this morning on the way to work, a refuse lorry hurtled past me at great speed, rocking to and fro, though giving me adequate room. As I caught up with it at the lights 100 yards up, I turned to look at the driver to remonstrate with him at his speeding, and saw he was on a mobile phone and I had trouble getting his attention. When I finally did, he kept saying – that is a lie, I was not speeding and I only used my phone when stationary at the lights. I was cycling off, but the driver kept hooting behind me, and I decided to turn off the road and let him go by, as he sounded really aggressive. As it was, I had turned into a City of Westminster depot where the lorry was also going. The driver and his two mates who had been in the cab with him had no choice but to let me in to the depot where I met his boss (all City of Westminster employees). The driver then told his boss that I was wobbling up the hill, and that I wasn’t wearing a helmet or a hi-vis vest, and was obviously at fault in this altercation. I told the very young boss what had happened, and said that his drivers needed better training – being aware of cyclists’ positioning on the road, and not to speed or use mobile phones. The boss was very aggressive – asked if I had hgv training, and what right I had to lecture his driver who had years of training. I said that I jolly well had a right to criticise his driving as I was the one affected by it! There was no apology forthcoming, or even an acknowledgement that the driving had been less than perfect. I took the name of the boss and left.