Council takes action on cycle deaths with training for HGV drivers

Lorry and bus drivers working for a London council are to be sent on special training sessions in cycling road safety in a bid to prevent road deaths involving cyclists and HGVs.

Drivers of refuse vehicles, school buses and other HGVs at Lambeth Council will undergo classroom and practical on-road cycle training to highlight the dangers posed to cyclists caught up in lorries’ blind spots.

Lambeth is believed to be the first council in London to give this kind of training to its staff.

Signs on the back of Lambeth’s fleet of vehicles are also being installed, warning cyclists of the dangers of cycling inside a lorry or bus.

While figures show that cycling in Lambeth is getting safer, more than half of all cycle deaths on London’s roads follow a collision with a goods vehicle, and cyclists are particularly in danger if they cycle on the passenger side of an HGV because of the poor view of the left side of the vehicle that drivers have from the cab. Sadly a cyclist was killed in Streatham in April this year as a result of a collision with a truck.

Starting from November, the classroom sessions will see drivers taught how to anticipate how cyclists will behave on the road and how to minimise the danger of cyclists being killed or injured.

The drivers will then get onto bikes themselves and be given practical off-road and on road cycle training, to give them greater understanding about cycling and give them a chance to see what it feels like to be a cyclist on a road with other traffic, including large vehicles like the ones they drive.

The initiatives have been developed in partnership with the council’s environmental contractor, Veolia Environmental Services, and Cycle Training UK. The move coincides with National Road Safety Week (10-14th Nov).

Cllr Sally Prentice, Lambeth Council cabinet member for Environment, said: “London has the potential to be a world class cycling city - more and more people are taking it up and figures show that although twice as many people are cycling now in the borough than 10 years ago, the number of those being injured in collisions has not risen.

“However, half of all fatalities involve heavy goods vehicles. While there have been no incidents involving cyclists and vehicles driven by Lambeth staff in recent years, we are making sure our drivers get specific training that makes them more aware of the dangers their can lorries pose.

“We hope that other organisations that employ HGV drivers follow our lead on this and run similar training schemes so we can make London a safer place for cyclists. The council is happy to work with companies to promote these initiatives.”

Veolia Environmental Services’ senior contracts manager Robert Seear said: “In a large vehicle like a refuse truck it is imperative for drivers to be fully aware not only of what is in front and behind them, but also what is riding alongside. Initiatives such as this scheme are excellent in reinforcing safety and awareness training to drivers which complements the already extensive procedures we have in place.”