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(USGovernment-News.Com, March 28, 2013 ) Manchester, UK -- One of the more terrifying moments for any cyclist in the cities is the first time a large, high-sided construction truck comes along side, with the driver invisible in the cab. Now a leading cyclist group is hoping it has come up with the solution to the cyclist-friendly lorry.
The draft design that has been created by the London Cycling Campaign, reduces the overall height of the lorry, in particular the driving position, as well as greatly extends the side windows in order to give the driver a better view of the peripheries. The drivers of the traditional lorry has relied solely upon mirrors, but the new system allows the driver to better see cyclists at most heights on the side of the lorry.
As the issue is one that had to be gone over, especially within London, where lorries are nearly 5% of vehicle traffic and yet responsible for nearly half of cyclists deaths. A majority of such accidents occur when lorries are turning left into a cyclist. In 2011, of the 16 cyclist deaths in London, nine of them involved lorries.
"We're very much not saying this is pie in the sky stuff," he said. "A lot of it does exist already. For example, on our truck with the front all we've done is taken something from an existing design and put it onto the construction lorry."
The new design of the lorry would also involve more changes in the industry practice in general.
"What the construction industry says is that they like high clearance on their lorries because they think of them as off road machines for when they go on building sites," he said. "But there's always a compromise between lorry's capabilities and their safety on the roads, and we're saying that balance has gone too far the first way. Also, construction sites are changing and they tend to be less like an off-road environment.
"Drivers are worried about getting stuck. But you have to adjust the way you drive to the vehicle you're driving. If you're driving one of these lorries you just have to drive it in a more skilled way. It's all about a balance."
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