Lorry in Advanced Stop Box blamed for cyclists' death

Mike Healey

A quote from the witness who was riding with her:

"The driver was in the cycle box so we couldn't get in front. Also with better mirrors and if lorries were not so loud these kind of deaths could be stopped."

From this, it would seem that the lorry was already in the ASL box and the woman rode up inside it. I find it difficult to regard the driver as being at fault, since there is no evidence (in the report) that he wasn't signalling. She may well have been in his blind spot or she may not, but we don't know, so concluding that it was his fault without strong evidence to that effect.

As for being in the ASL box, the law allows for motor vehicles to be in it, if circumstances prevent them from stopping before the ASL. Adn yes, I know that many drivers don't give a stuff about not entering them, but the key point in the report on this case is that we don';t have enough evidence to conclude that it was, or even may have been his fault.

Sadly, cyclists do make mistakes

shouldbeinbed

markos1963 wrote:

I can see where you guys are going to with this one and I understand your point. What I am trying to get to is if the lorry overtook the biker before the ASL and THEN turned left its a different case and not an accident, possibly dangerous driving? ie the lorry driver having overtaken the biker maybe 100 yards before the junction should have expected the cyclist to still be in the vicinity and made sure before turning that the cyclist hadn't slipped up the inside not having seen the lorries indicators.(we have all seen how late some drivers leave it before indicating)

Assuming that the lorry driver is a cyclist who filters or has been made aware of his own or other near misses with cyclists filtering inappropriately previously.

or maybe the lorry driver took the opinion that no one so expoesd and vulnerable would be stupid enough to place themselves beside 40 odd tons of metal at a left turn opportunity when they've had 100 yards to catch up see how close the lorry is to the lights and decide to stop behind it and wait their turn like any other road user would do.

particularly as he'd made sure and blocked the ASB

Maybe he did that deliberately to ensure that nothing small and difficult to see could get to the front and pose a collision hazard with him

if at all, and we've all seen how often drivers make a manouvre without looking - to not factor that in as a cyclist is possibly rider negligence & dangerous cycling