Cyclist fatalities in London - what's going on?

[Garage_Doors]

hahaha yeah cameras stop people driving uninsured if you like mate.

why would it be impossible just because of some cameras. someone has to check every plate on that camera refer that back to the dvla etc etc etc. times that by the millions of vehicles in london and the man hours to do that would bankrupt the country. you havent really thought about this.

lewisham and southwark recently had a clampdown and caught hundreds of people. but only by the police stopping them physically. cameras stop people driving uninsured? hahahaha mental. yeah i just believe this this has no basis in fact hahaha.

Not sure if your aware of a system called ANPRS, this is Automaric number plate recognition system.
I assume not from your silly assumptions above.
Every police car in London is equipped with it and it reads every number plate that it catches sight of, either in front, behind and those coming the other way on the opersite side of the road.
Instantly it reads information from the DVLA computer database on the vehicle including if it has registered keeper, road fund licence MOT and insurance.
There is no need to contact the DLVA it's al done in real time so they know instantly if an offence is being committed. ( it flashes red and bleeps!)
So there is no hiding place for uninsured drivers.

 

[teaboy]

Not sure if your aware of a system called ANPRS, this is Automaric number plate recognition system.
I assume not from your silly assumptions above.
Every police car in London is equipped with it and it reads every number plate that it catches sight of, either in front, behind and those coming the other way on the opersite side of the road.
Instantly it reads information from the DVLA computer database on the vehicle including if it has registered keeper, road fund licence MOT and insurance.
There is no need to contact the DLVA it's al done in real time so they know instantly if an offence is being committed. ( it flashes red and bleeps!)
So there is no hiding place for uninsured drivers.

This isn't preventing uninsured drivers taking to the road though - it's simply catching them when they do and are unlucky enough to be near a police car. Many people (1.2m nationwide) think it's worth the risk as the penalty for being caught is clearly not a deterrent.

 

[m20gull]

This isn't preventing uninsured drivers taking to the road though - it's simply catching them when they do and are unlucky enough to be near a police car. Many people (1.2m nationwide) think it's worth the risk as the penalty for being caught is clearly not a deterrent.

And the penalty is related to ability to pay. If you cannot afford insurance the penalty will be lower than the cost, so worth the risk.

Not for me, I hasten to add.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Nonsense. EVERY driver who EVER makes a left turn should ALWAYS ask themselves "Will I hit a cyclist?"

EVERY time you turn left. And the question of who will be to blame if a collision happens is irrelevant.

The Lord is correct.

If you turn left (or right, for that matter), or make any sort of manoeuvre/change of speed/direction without checking your mirrors first, and end up colliding with another road user, then you will face questions, especially if that person ends up injured or dead as a result.

Basic highway code stuff. Mirrors...signal...manoeuvre. Yes. there are blind spots, particularly on certain types of vehicle, but the questions will still need to be asked.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Not sure if your aware of a system called ANPRS, this is Automaric number plate recognition system.
I assume not from your silly assumptions above.
Every police car in London is equipped with it and it reads every number plate that it catches sight of, either in front, behind and those coming the other way on the opersite side of the road.
Instantly it reads information from the DVLA computer database on the vehicle including if it has registered keeper, road fund licence MOT and insurance.
There is no need to contact the DLVA it's al done in real time so they know instantly if an offence is being committed. ( it flashes red and bleeps!)
So there is no hiding place for uninsured drivers.

Yes and no. There are all sorts of variables. For a start, it only shows if the car is insured. There are plenty of cases where a car is insured, but the person driving it at the time isn't. It's far from foolproof, and requires 100% human intervention.

 

[Jaguar_uk]

Is it simply an appalling run of appalling circumstances - wrong place wrong time? Or is it an inevitable consequence of encouraging more cycling in a major capital city?

Is 5 deaths in 9 days the sort of statistic, with all the associated tragedy for those involved, that we are going to have to get used to? Personally, for all his grandstanding on other issues, I can't help but feel that this something the Mayor needs to get a grip of. It's becoming carnage on an almost daily basis.

Probably because many of them seem to believe that as they hold the moral high ground they enjoy some sort of Devine protection and therefore will not be killed when they choose to ignore the rules.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Nonsense. EVERY driver who EVER makes a left turn should ALWAYS ask themselves "Will I hit a cyclist?"

EVERY time you turn left. And the question of who will be to blame if a collision happens is irrelevant.

100% agree.

 

[m20gull]

The Lord is correct.

If you turn left (or right, for that matter), or make any sort of manoeuvre/change of speed/direction without checking your mirrors first, and end up colliding with another road user, then you will face questions, especially if that person ends up injured or dead as a result.

Basic highway code stuff. Mirrors...signal...manoeuvre. Yes. there are blind spots, particularly on certain types of vehicle, but the questions will still need to be asked.

But as cyclists we can help by not putting ourselves in positions of danger. One common junction I use is a traffic light with three lanes: one filter right and two others. About half the cars turn left. I turn left so put myself in the queue of cars and turn left with the cars. I have lost count of the number of cyclists who filter up the inside of the cars and position themselves to the left of the car at the front of queue. Regardless of who is at fault if a distracted driver turns left without looking or indicating it is the cyclist who will come off worse.

 

[TheJasperCo]

The problem is there are so many factors that have likely contributed to this spate of fatalities:

1) Accidental Human error on the part of road users' confusion caused by contradictory signs and distractions.
2) Deliberate human error caused by impatience / selfishness / ignorance / tardy drug dealers running late to bump off their turf rivals.
3) Growing population of cyclists and motorists using the roads nowadays, with roads that can no longer handle the strain.
4) Road junctions and roundabouts being treated like architectural pièces de résistance that are designed, not as functional layers of asphalt and tarmac, but as award-winning structural entities unto themselves. Absolutely inconsiderate planning by chauffeur-driven lunatics in far-away council offices.

To fix all these problems is nigh-on impossible, and that just leaves the question of managing the problem with limited government resources and funds.

 

[£1.99]

London doesn't seem to good for pedestrians either!
http://londonist.com/2013/11/wont-s...il&utm_term=0_acfd22879f-f9ba765e99-217964609

 

[Timbo]

It's the consequence of spending nothing more than the cost of 50 or so tins of paint on a "cycle super highway."

2nd post provided the answer and still everyone's arguing about it!

The Cycle Superhighway is a death trap. Driving out of Tooting today the CSH was all over the place, in and out of bus lanes, round parked cars. It's an absolute mess that smacks of a token effort.

The city needs a complete overhaul where traffic/cycling is concerned. Cars and bikes need to be separated, close roads that run parallel to main roads and open them up to bikes. Then improve the roads for cars and make them faster/more free flowing by getting rid of endless traffic lights and massive speed humps that stop you concentrating on what's around you.

Won't be easy, just needs someone with a bit of bottle to get to grips with it. Instead London has a raving idiot who everyone laughs at but still seems to vote in every year!

 

[£1.99]

For those he don't know this is what a London Cycling Superhighway looks like.
http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...erhighways-kamikazes-boris-johnson?CMP=twt_gu

 

[Stat Brother]

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[northernseagull]

The arrogance of some car drivers absolutely astounds me... but then the stupidity of some cyclists is equally astounding. Can sit on both sides of the fence on this one, but this topic seems to come about every 6 months on NSC and always results in

 

[Stat Brother]

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[seagully]

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[Fitzcarraldo]

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I cycle past there everyday on my commute. Horrible.

As a general point on it, I don't actually see cycling in London as particularly dangerous. There are times when it can be a bit hairy - but I find so long as you keep your wits about you, stick to the bus lanes, stop at all red lights and get in front of the traffic at the lights where possible, you are ok.

 

[Surrey Seagull]

I've heard on the news this morning that the Met police are having a crackdown this morning on cyclists who jump red lights with on the spot fines.

 

[Steve in Japan]

In Japan, there is a fundamental difference in how blame is automatically apportioned when an accident occurs. If an accident involves a pedestrian and a bicycle, it is ALwAYS the cyclists fault. If it`s a cyclist and a car, it is always the cars fault. (Ditto if car meets scooter or motorcycle). I ride a bike and drive a car here. When driving it can be nervewracking at nighttime as some bloke, with no lights on, using his mobile phone and on the wrong side of the road (and probably half cut as well) lurches into view, knowing if he hits me it will be my fault. And the penalties can be very tough

My point is that the logic here is that the weak get protection from the strong, and the traffic police enforce. It does concentrate your mind knowing that if you are the car driver, and have an accident with a bike, it will be your fault. No ifs, no buts, no mitigation. (On the downside, I have been followed home at night by some chancers claiming I "brushed against them with my car" and asking for a bit of cash......so that obviously isn`t so good).

Not recommending this for the UK, just observing a different approach.

 

[Stat Brother]

I've heard on the news this morning that the Met police are having a crackdown this morning on cyclists who jump red lights with on the spot fines.

That is indeed the case:-

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I'm struggling to work out where this fella is coming from.
Yeah sure a basic requirement of driving a 2 tonne death machine should be the ability to see where you are going.
But only one person is going to get killed to death, so brighten yourself up a bit, it won't kill you ...
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