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[Sir Tigger KC]

This one will interest M. Guffer!    Not sure how it will work in practice though, sending trucks all round the houses?   

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/lorries-face-being-banned-from-turning-left-in-revolutionary-clampdown-aimed-at-preventing-cycle-a2924376.html

[Lazydocker]

Sorry... But there should be a greater emphasis placed on the cyclist in London. I will bet my house that next time I drive into London (2.5 weeks time if not before) there will be at least one cyclist jump a red light and at least one come up the inside when I am indicating to turn left

Some very good ideas, in principle, but mostly another bout of Lorry Driver Bashing

Perhaps Boris should go out in a lorry for a day and see what it's really like trying to watch for stupid car drivers, box junctions, lights, suicidal pedestrians and lunatic, law flouting cyclists

[YZ250]

I can see how a lorry can't see a cyclist but how the hell does a cyclist not see a lorry?

No need to answer that as I already know the answer.    The cyclists are risking their lives by sneaking up the inside. As a car driver and ex motorcyclist I steer well clear of trucks at roundabouts and junctions, I would feel more at risk on a bike so I would apply the same principle. 

Not intended as bike bashing by the way.       Well, maybe a little bit.

[kevinp58]

This is just another load of bureaucratic BS  it is the F*%$ing cyclists that are at fault here, not the truck driver 

[Varche]

An observation.

Cyclists and other motorists are breaking the laws of the road every day ( e.g. car drivers texting, cyclists jumping red lights)

Police haven't the manpower to apply the law.

Cyclists(real people) are getting killed (they are someones loved ones, family etc)

Reducing the number of left turns makes sense if that is where lots of cyclists get killed.


My dad used to say a well rounded driver was someone who had driven many different forms of transport, starting with a horse, push bike, motorbike, tractor, car, lorry and so on. He had a point. I remember as a student hitching a lift in a huge lorry on the M1. I couldn't believe he had to change gear to get up the hills. I also remember to this day him knocking it out of sixteenth(?) and us overtaking stuff going downhill. Ever since I keep my distance from wagons on downhills and wait for them to overtake on uphills before blasting past.

[Bigron]

£1,000 to retro-fit a window? Yes, just bung the cost of cyclists' stupidity onto the already heavily taxed lorry driver/owner and keep the free-loading cyclist safe!
I know many will disagree, but I feel that cycles are completely inappropriate for today's roads and traffic conditions; it is THEY who should be banned and not lorries. Cyclists are unlicenced, unregulated and seemingly immune from road traffic laws.
In many of OUR (motorist-owned) roads, precious road space has been allocated to cycles, to our detriment. If they were licenced, subject to the same fines and points systems as us and able to be banned for repeated offences, it would be fairer, and reduce the law-flouting.
I like Boris, he is usually clever, but he is wrong here.......

Ron.

[Doctor Gollum]

Stop cyclists driving like idiotts
Stop cyclists from driving inside lorries
Stop cyclists from driving inside buses
Stop cyclists from wearing headphones
Stop cyclists from wearing Lycra
Stop cyclists from riding on the pavements
Stop cyclists from wearing dark clothing
Stop cyclists from turning left
Stop cyclists from turning right
Stop cyclists from destroying London

From the comments on the article... not sure about the lycra one, as some might see that as a fetish, but the rest seems perfectly reasonable 

[D]

Sorry... But there should be a greater emphasis placed on the cyclist in London. I will bet my house that next time I drive into London (2.5 weeks time if not before) there will be at least one cyclist jump a red light and at least one come up the inside when I am indicating to turn left

Some very good ideas, in principle, but mostly another bout of Lorry Driver Bashing

Perhaps Boris should go out in a lorry for a day and see what it's really like trying to watch for stupid car drivers, box junctions, lights, suicidal pedestrians and lunatic, law flouting cyclists

Oh FFS. Every day I see car/lorry drivers using a mobile, texting, jumping a red light, tailgating, engaging in road rage, applying make up, fiddling with hair, smoking, drinking, eating sarnies, peeing in a bottle etc etc etc. I could go on. The only ones who die are the cyclists who get run over by said car/truck drivers. Get some perspective. 

Why do cyclists drive up the inside? Because the frigging cycle lane is painted on the flipping left of the road. Thats why. Because the moronic road designers have no clue.
Why do they ride in the middle of the road? Because the road surface is so poor that they choose to ride a bit more into the middle of the road and avoid deathtrap drains and potholes that could potentially kill them.
Why do they set off a second before the light turns green. So that the idiot in the car behind doesnt try to kill them with their reckless driving.

Oh no. Blame the poor cyclist who chooses to make your journey slightly easier by reducing congestion, make the air your children breath better by reducing emissions. Yup target the weaker road user. That makes sense.

Seriously fed up with cycle bashing folk who have never been on a push bike in traffic.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I didn't intend this thread as an anti bicyclist rant and mostly agree with what D has written above.  Apart from this.....

Why do cyclists drive up the inside? Because the frigging cycle lane is painted on the flipping left of the road. Thats why. Because the moronic road designers have no clue.

If the cycle lane was painted over the edge of a cliff, would they all go over like lemmings?  Of course not.  So why do cyclists persist in creeping up the nearside of large vehicles, knowing full well how dangerous it is? 

[Gaffers]

There is bad roadcraft and disregard for the rules on all sides.  To put the blame 100% in any one camp would be wrong.  That said, from my observations (in the UK) the absolute worst is the 7.5T construction/skip/tipper driver.  Probably due to the pressures placed on the drivers (it is my understanding that many are in fact independant contractors which means operators can put unrealistics targets on them to reach OTE without breaking the law ) but also due to the ethos of the company.  My current client is a global cement company whose top 3 priorities are Health and Safety.  I have noticed that the drivers of this company drive very, very well and are considerate road users (sharing space, convoy drills, etc)

Personally I do not feel that banning left turns is the way forward, if the current most basic rules are flauted by many what is to say that any new ones will be heeded.  I know I suggested about banning vulnerable road users from putting themselves too close or inbetween large vehicles where there is no specific lane, while this is good in theory I suspect you will still get the prats who squeeze in to the tightest spots and put themselves in danger.

At the end of the day all road users need to understand that pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable road users.  Cyclists especially need to understand this and behave in a legal manner that takes this in to consideration.  Other road users need to realise that their actions could kill somebody on foot or on 2 wheels.  When (if) we should ever reach this upotian nirvana I feel that we will see some progress.

[Gaffers]

£1,000 to retro-fit a window? Yes, just bung the cost of cyclists' stupidity onto the already heavily taxed lorry driver/owner and keep the free-loading cyclist safe!
I know many will disagree, but I feel that cycles are completely inappropriate for today's roads and traffic conditions; it is THEY who should be banned and not lorries. Cyclists are unlicenced, unregulated and seemingly immune from road traffic laws.
In many of OUR (motorist-owned) roads, precious road space has been allocated to cycles, to our detriment. If they were licenced, subject to the same fines and points systems as us and able to be banned for repeated offences, it would be fairer, and reduce the law-flouting.
I like Boris, he is usually clever, but he is wrong here.......

Ron.

I am not even going to honour this with a meaningful response.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Used to work with a guy who could not turn left......very strange character

[Sir Tigger KC]

Maybe every large vehicle should be equipped with an Orangutan.     Trained up British style.... " Left turn Clyde! " 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i98QrSSHxo4

[tunnie]

I really should invest in a Go-Pro, for use on the motorbike, to capture what I've seen some drivers doing 

[Gaffers]

Used to work with a guy who could not turn left......very strange character

Did he ever unveil his look "Magnum" ?