Cyclists and lorry drivers to swap places in Boris’s safety campaign

Mayor Boris Johnson is launching a new cycle safety strategy today
12 April 2012

Lorry drivers will be forced to undergo cycle safety training as part of Boris Johnson's plans to get more Londoners onto bikes.

Under his new cycle safety strategy, launched today, cyclists will also be invited to sit inside HGVs to learn how restricted the driver's view can be.

The Mayor is spending £3 million on schemes to encourage nervous cyclists as well as supporting the use of HGV mirrors that remove blind spots.

There has been a nine per cent rise in cycling in London since Mr Johnson became Mayor and his cycle hire scheme aims to boost that. But campaigners say action is needed to cut bike-related injuries and deaths. Ten cyclists have been killed in accidents this year, according to the London Cycling Campaign.

Mr Johnson said: "Cycling in London is safer now than it was a decade ago.

But with so many potential pelotons of new cyclists taking to our roads it is imperative we take action now to ensure safety. I know as well as anyone the dangers of cycling alongside a HGV, and I want to work with the Government, freight companies and anyone else who can help make cycling safe."

Under the new safety strategy:

* Cycle safety awareness will become a mandatory part of HGV drivers' training for their Certificate of Professional Competence.

* The Mayor will work with more than 300 companies that operate lorries.

* They will be encouraged to install sidebars and other safety devices on HGVs.

* More innovative safety measures will be tested, following trials of the Trixi mirror that removes blind spots.

* "Exchanging Places" events will take place, with cyclists able to sit in lorries and see the driver's point of view.

There will be a drive to sign up more people to free, Transport for London funded cycle training for adults and children. Last year 5,875 adults and 39,118 children took part. As well as the hire scheme, Mr Johnson plans 12 "cycle superhighways" leading into central London. But Green Assembly member Jenny Jones, a cyclist, said the superhighways were not safe enough.

Last year eight people died and 84 were injured on the routes.

Ms Jones also criticised the Mayor for closing the Met's Commercial Vehicle Education Unit. The unit, which checked safety measures, had targeted lorries and found the law was being broken in 80 per cent of cases.

Ms Jones said: "The Mayor is inviting thousands of new and inexperienced cyclists to share main lorry routes into London, while cutting frontline police officers who are taking dangerous lorries off the roads. These penny-pinching cuts are an insult to the memories of the people who have lost their lives under the wheels of lorries in London."

A spokesman for the Mayor said the vehicle education unit's work would be transferred to TfL. He said Mr Johnson was investing a record £111 million in cycling in 2009/10.

The Mayor's record so far

Cycle Superhighways
Twelve routes from outer London into the centre will be developed, with the first two in place by next summer.

They will be wide lanes painted blue on major roads, and at least 1.5m wide, with continuous cycle lanes at junctions and advanced stop boxes. The first two are expected to cost £22 million. The Green Party has warned the Mayor is not putting enough safety measures into the routes.

Cycle Hire Scheme
Mr Johnson claims he is still on course to deliver a rental scheme of 6,000 bikes in Zone 1 by next summer — although the date has been pushed back from May.

Planning applications for 400 bike docking stations are going through the system. A prototype of the bicycle was unveiled this month. No mention made of the original estimate of 6,000 to 10,000 bikes.

Cycle Fridays
These rides were intended to guide nervous cyclists into the City on six routes, led by marshals. The scheme ran for eight Fridays but only 436 people turned up — on one occasion it was just two. The rides were estimated to have cost £30,000 — £68.80 per participant. Critics branded it a "complete flop".

Summer of Cycling
A series of promotions to encourage people to get on their bikes, climaxing in last month's Skyride in central London, when 65,000 riders took advantage of streets free of cars.

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