{"id":126987705,"date":"2009-01-09T18:21:45","date_gmt":"2009-01-09T18:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.baltimorespokes.org\/?p=126987705"},"modified":"2009-01-09T18:21:45","modified_gmt":"2009-01-09T18:21:45","slug":"legally-speaking-with-bob-mionske-turning-with-a-blind-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.baltimorespokes.org\/?p=126987705","title":{"rendered":"Legally Speaking with Bob Mionske – Turning with a blind eye"},"content":{"rendered":"

…
\nBut there\u2019s another way of looking at some of these responses. The London Bicycle Activist reports that Truck and bus drivers working for the London Borough of Lambeth \u201care receiving training sessions in cycling road safety in a bid to prevent collisions involving cyclists and HGVs [Heavy Goods Vehicle].\u201d The program involves classroom training and signs in trucks and buses warning drivers about the danger their vehicles pose to cyclists. The training program doesn\u2019t stop there \u2014 with the assistance of Cycle Training UK, drivers are also receiving on-road training on bicycles \u201cto give them greater understanding about cycling.\u201d
\nWhile the training program for Lambeth truck and bus drivers is mandatory, training is not required for Lambeth cyclists. Nevertheless, Cycle training is also available to any resident of Lambeth who wants it, again in partnership between the Borough and Cycle Training UK.
\nThe contrasts between European and American approaches to cycling safety are interesting:
\n\u2022 In Portland, bike boxes\u2014an idea borrowed from European cities\u2014were installed at problem intersections following the deaths of two Portland cyclists.
\n\u2022 In Portland, city trucks were fitted with safety guards. In contrast, in Europe, all trucks, whether public or private, have been required to be fitted with safety guards since 1989.
\n\u2022 In Portland, cyclists were invited into truck cabs to see how hard it is for drivers to see cyclists. In London, drivers were required to take on-road cycle training to see what it\u2019s like to ride a bike. While it certainly can\u2019t hurt for cyclists to gain perspective on what it\u2019s like to drive a truck, the Portland approach implies that the truck drivers involved in the fatal accidents were not at fault, while the London approach implies that truck drivers have a duty of care to avoid hitting cyclists.
\n\u2022 In Portland, cyclists are told not to ride in the blind spot of trucks \u2014 and in fact, in Brett Jarolimek\u2019s crash, a massive blind spot created by the damaged side mirror on the truck was a major factor in the collision. In Europe, all heavy trucks are required, as of March 31 of this year, to be fitted with equipment that eliminates blind spots.
\n\u2022 In Portland, neither driver faced criminal charges, and only one of the drivers received a traffic citation for violating the cyclist\u2019s right of way. The driver who turned into Brett Jarolimek\u2019s path was not cited, because the Portland Police invented a non-existent requirement that the driver had to be aware of the cyclist in order to violate his right of way \u2014 an interesting decision on the part of the Portland Police, given that the driver\u2019s mirror was non-functional, in violation of the law. Whether either driver will be found negligent would be a matter for a jury to decide. In contrast, in the Netherlands, a driver is presumed to be negligent in any collision involving a cyclist, unless the driver can introduce evidence rebutting that presumption.
\nWhile it\u2019s been heartening to see some of the positive changes that have taken place in Portland as a result of the tragic and needless deaths of two Portland cyclists, it\u2019s also obvious, when compared to what our counterparts in the UK and Europe are doing, that there\u2019s so much more we could be doing to protect cyclists in this country. The Borough of Lambeth provides one innovative example \u2014 when drivers know what the road is like from our perspective, they\u2019re likely to be more careful with our lives.
\nBob
\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.velonews.com\/article\/86431\/legally-speaking-with-bob-mionske—turning-with-a-blind-eye<\/a>oldId.20090109182145379<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… But there\u2019s another way of looking at some of these responses. The London Bicycle Activist reports that Truck and bus drivers working for the London Borough of Lambeth \u201care receiving training sessions in cycling road safety in a bid to prevent collisions involving cyclists and HGVs [Heavy Goods Vehicle].\u201d The program involves classroom training … <\/p>\n

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