London Cycling is campaigning for ‘direct vision’ to improve driver vision. Most cyclist deaths in London involve large lorries, around three quarters of these are contracted to construction and related industries. The standard large lorry used in the construction industry is built to an off-road specification that puts the driver high up with no view of the road or the people immediately beside and in front of the vehicle.
London Cycling thought it was possible to redesign lorries to correct this fault, and now two manufacturers have proved us right. The European Commission eventually recognised the issue and linked safer cab designs to proposals for longer, more efficient lorries. Regrettably their proposals have got bogged down and delayed by the transport industry for almost a decade.
Transport for London launched a consultation in January 2016 under previous mayor Boris Johnson’s regime looking at whether lorries entering London should be required to be retrofitted with additional passenger door windows.
Source: London Cycling
Photo: Mercedes Benz