MPs: industry ‘must improve’ cycle safety record

The House of Commons transport select committee has called on HGV operators to improve their road safety record with regard to cyclists.

In a report published on 14 July, the committee said it was: “greatly concerned by the number of cyclists killed in collisions with HGVs” and “the disproportionate number of HGVs involved in collisions with cyclists.”

The report highlighted evidence that suggested some 20 per cent of cycling fatalities in the last five years involved HGVs, even though the lorries only accounted for five per cent of motor traffic.

“This disproportionate effect was in even greater evidence in London, in which the vehicles were involved in 37 per cent of cycling fatalities since 2009, despite accounting for just three per cent of motor traffic on the roads,” the committee added.

It continued: “We are particularly concerned by the number of construction vehicles, such as concrete and tipper lorries, involved in fatal collisions with cyclists, and the failure of some haulage companies to follow best practice around cycle safety.”

The MPs had heard that: “seven out of nine fatal collisions in London between cyclists and large good vehicles in 2011 involved construction vehicles. The record varied between companies: while some, including Cemex, had adopted best practice around cycle safety, we heard that a minority of companies were ‘cutting corners’ when it came to safety.”

The committee welcomed the recent approval by the European Parliament of changes to HGV cab designs to reduce drivers’ blind spots, and called on the government to ratify the changes.

It was not persuaded that a ban of HGVs in town centres would be practicable, but endorsed ministerial calls for a ‘culture of safety’ for HGV drivers, and improvements in education of both drivers and cyclists about road safety.

The committee recommended: “the establishment of a timetable for the development of an industry-wide code of conduct, and a clear programme of work to promote the enforcement of HGV safety regulations.

“The effectiveness of these measures must be monitored, and demonstrated by a reduction in the proportion of cyclists’ collisions involving HGVs, and by the number of cyclists injured or killed in collisions with HGVs. If such a reduction is not forthcoming once safety measures are implemented, we expect the Department [for Transport] to consider set out the steps it will take to ensure the safety of cyclists on our roads.”

The committee also called on the government to follow through on ministerial proposals to address a perceived loophole surrounding volumetric mixers, which do not currently fall under standard goods vehicle regulations.