Cyclist hit by cement truck going same way

[EnigManiac]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1158012137436

I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts (a true commodity up here in TO) that the cement-truck driver will escape any sort of responsibility in spite of the fact that he struck a cyclist from behind going in the same direction. Failure to provide sufficient space, anyone? Hellllooooo.

[zippered]

i read about that this morning on a blog site. fifth cyclist in a row killed by a truck. such a shame.

i wonder when the transportation authority (or whatever it's called) will finally stop blaming the victims and bloody well mandate barriers for all large vehicles? the impact is one thing, then there's the being crushed under the tires...

there's going to be a memorial next week, i'll try to attend.

RIP

[ghettocruiser]

Had a flat-bed 18-wheeler coming up behind me this morning pull from the centre lane into the my right hand lane, then pull beside me and drift right while passing, forcing me to pull partly into a freeway entrance ramp. Then of course the truck has to slam on the brakes for the red light I was slowing down for. This is all in the rain.

Are we suprised that ALL of Toronto's cycling fatalities this year have been caused by heavy trucks? Most truck drivers I see these days look like they are all between 19 and 25 years old. It's getting harder and harder to convince myself all these incidents are completely accidental, given that number of these young truck drivers who scream at bikes to get off the road and make threats out the window.

I'd expect to hear absolutely nothing more on this incident, just like all the other hit-from-behind bicycle incidents that nobody likes to talk about...

[ghettocruiser]

About the truck side guard issue. I have a chuckle every time the industry says that it's not affordable. I was in mainland China last year, and EVERY truck has side-guards, even small ones without large exposed wheels.

Funny how second-world countries can afford basic safety infrastructure that we can't.

If only the cycling lobby in Canada had as much clot as the trucking lobby. The worst-case scenario for that industry is they get enough bad press that they have to rerun those "Ontario travels by truck" commercials reminding us that without their (unsafe) vehicles we would apparently starve to death or something.

That was their idea of a public relations campaign.

[EnigManiac]

About the truck side guard issue. I have a chuckle every time the industry says that it's not affordable. I was in mainland China last year, and EVERY truck has side-guards, even small ones without large exposed wheels.

Funny how second-world countries can afford basic safety infrastructure that we can't.

If only the cycling lobby in Canada had as much clot as the trucking lobby. The worst-case scenario for that industry is they get enough bad press that they have to rerun those "Ontario travels by truck" commercials reminding us that without their (unsafe) vehicles we would apparently starve to death or something.

That was their idea of a public relations campaign.

Adam Giambrone has been a complete dud in representing cyclists in this city---and by extension, the province. For those in his riding, remember that in November when the election comes around. We need a Cycling committee who knows HOW to deal with these issues and get things done.

[Helmet Head]

Just a reminder: when you are riding off to the right where most drivers don't pay nearly as much attention as they do to what's in their intended path in front of them, you are subject to inattentional blindness. You might have achieved sensoral conspicuity with bright clothing, reflectors and lights, but unless you are positioned in a way that they perceive as being relevant to what they are doing (getting from A to B without hitting anyone or anything), you are likely to be cognitively inconspicuous. If they perceive you to be out of the way, then they are likely to perceive you as being irrelevant to their task. It should be no surprise, then, that they are not aware of your presence, and could inadvertently drift or turn into you. Just something to think about.

http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/inattentionalblindness.html

[Adiankur]

I was run off the road by a truck years ago, and never rode a bike again until recently. I was lucky I wasn't killed. I was in the actual lane, and the truck came up beside me and pushed me over into an area with rocks. it was a miracle I didnt go under the wheels or over the drop to my death. Its not always an accident, as this driver saw me. He was in a dangerous spot, being over the yellow line, but decided not to slow down.

I think that some of the deaths may happen when some idiot decides too get close to someone, as a reminder that they dont want the cyclist on the road. When something gets out of hand and a death is involved, they will hit their fallback line of, " I didnt even see them."

[ghettocruiser]

Just a reminder: when you are riding off to the right where most drivers don't pay nearly as much attention as they do to what's in their

As I've already stated, I was, on three occasions in the last six years, struck from behind while stopped or slowing in traffic in my car by a driver who admitted they weren't watching.

I have probably cycled by at least a hundred rear-end accidents in the last year, and although many were caused by unexpected slowdowns and tailgating, many were not.

I have not personally seen a single case of a car drifting into vehicles parked at the side of the road in my life. I guess it happens sometimes.

Your theory, while interesting, is wildly inconsistent with my personal experience on the roads of my city.

[genec]

Just a reminder: when you are riding off to the right where most drivers don't pay nearly as much attention as they do to what's in their intended path in front of them, you are subject to inattentional blindness. You might have achieved sensoral conspicuity with bright clothing, reflectors and lights, but unless you are positioned in a way that they perceive as being relevant to what they are doing (getting from A to B without hitting anyone or anything), you are likely to be cognitively inconspicuous. If they perceive you to be out of the way, then they are likely to perceive you as being irrelevant to their task. It should be no surprise, then, that they are not aware of your presence, and could inadvertently drift or turn into you. Just something to think about.




Something to think about... not all situations permit the gaps that are needed to deploy your methodology.

Something else to think about... motorists are responsible for driving their vehicles safely, which also means slowing down when conditions require it.

[joejack951]

As I've already stated, I was, on three occasions in the last six years, struck from behind while stopped or slowing in traffic in my car by a driver who admitted they weren't watching.

I have probably cycled by at least a hundred rear-end accidents in the last year, and although many were caused by unexpected slowdowns and tailgating, many were not.

I have not personally seen a single case of a car drifting into vehicles parked at the side of the road in my life. I guess it happens sometimes.

Your theory, while interesting, is wildly inconsistent with my personal experience on the roads of my city.

Keep in mind, it sounds like you ride in a congested city (correct me if I'm wrong) where there are rarely any long gaps in traffic during which a motorist could let their attention stray from the road in front of them to some other distraction while still driving at speed. What you tend to get in cities are people slowly rolling into each other at stop lights usually because the vehicle in front of them shot forward quickly then slammed on their brakes again (I've watched this happen in stop and go traffic many times).

[remsav]

You get the same excuse with motorcycles "I didn't see him/her", and I remember reading about 5 fatal accidents in florida of which 2 were fatal rear-end which couldn't be blamed on bikelane, so being seen by drivers has nothing to do with being in the lane. What a waste of money on a research to improve visibility, just get bright clothes, lights.

"Motorcyclists are often the victims of drivers who don't see them. Roethlisberger came close to death in such an accident. He rammed into a 1996 Chrysler New Yorker that failed to yield when making a left turn.

Research is needed into ways to improve the visibility of motorcyclists, as well as the effectiveness of protective gear, the NTSB was told."

[ghettocruiser]

As a general comment I do ride quite a ways out into the lane during traffic gaps, into near the centre. This has on occasion caused problems when vehicles decide to use the right lane for passing and "pop out" from the left lane and approach me from behind at very high closing speeds.

My biggest 'near miss' of the year came under such circumstances when a Lexus sedan, in the left hand lane behind the first car in the group approaching me, accelerated THEN changed to the right lane to pass, and found me blocking the lane with a speed difference between us that must have been 70 kmh.

[ghettocruiser]

What you tend to get in cities are people slowly rolling into each other at stop lights usually because the vehicle in front of them shot forward quickly then slammed on their brakes again (I've watched this happen in stop and go traffic many times).

This is how many accidents happen. The accidents I was refering to, also common where I live, were when a vehicle at normal travelling speed fails to notice cars stopped or slowing ahead and plows into the back of the last car in the line-up.

[SSP]

Just a reminder: when you are riding off to the right where most drivers don't pay nearly as much attention as they do to what's in their intended path in front of them, you are subject to inattentional blindness. You might have achieved sensoral conspicuity with bright clothing, reflectors and lights, but unless you are positioned in a way that they perceive as being relevant to what they are doing (getting from A to B without hitting anyone or anything), you are likely to be cognitively inconspicuous. If they perceive you to be out of the way, then they are likely to perceive you as being irrelevant to their task. It should be no surprise, then, that they are not aware of your presence, and could inadvertently drift or turn into you. Just something to think about.

http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/inattentionalblindness.html

I try to control these scenarios using my mirror (Take-a-Look brand). When I see a large truck approaching from behind, and he's not moving over sufficiently for my liking, I'll intentionally move my bike to the left. This forces them to also move left. As he gets closer, I move back to the right as he passes, ensuring maximum separation between us. With a mirror, this is pretty easy to accomplish.

[cooker]

"west on Eglinton Ave E near Leslie St.
That's a complex suburban intersection with two eastbound lanes of Eglinton turning north onto Leslie, a right-turn-only lane from Eglinton westbound to Leslie northbound, and a merge lane west of the intersection from Leslie southbound to Eglintons westbound. Many opportunities for conflict. As usual, unfortunately we don't have all the details. My guess would be that the cyclist got squeezed in the merging lanes west of the intersection, but of course, I don't know.

[genec]

Research is needed into ways to improve the visibility of motorcyclists, as well as the effectiveness of protective gear, the NTSB was told."

Japan did some research on making motorcycles more visible and discovered that they should appear to be hostile or have a frown when viewed head on.

I wish I could remember where I saw this report... it showed a motorcycle design with the paint and mirror locations with a pattern such, that head on, it looked angry... and that apparently grabbed the attention of motorists.

Perhaps we cyclists should adopt clothing and helmets to give us an angry look.

Don't know how this would help on overtaking accidents though.

[Az B]

I was intentionally run off the road by a cement truck this year too. I know he saw me because I took the lane while crossing a narrow bridge and he had to slow down quite a bit to follow me across. I thought he was going to be the exception to the rule and be a knowledgeable, courteous driver after he handled the bridge situation with no drama, but no. As soon as we both turned onto a deserted 4 lane road just past the bridge, and I was riding all the way over to the right on the shoulder, he deliberately moved over the white line on the right side of the road to run me off the pavement even though the left lane was completely clear as far as I could see. Clearly, he was being an *******. I also drive a truck. I wonder if he would like it if I endangered the lives of his family with my overbearing truck? His wife, his mother? I doubt it, and that's why I drive even more carefully while behind the wheel of a large truck. (I'm the only driver in the entire company that hasn't had at least one wreck this year, and at least 1 ticket. Several drivers have had multiple crashes and several tickets. No, they won't be driving much longer, but they are still driving and they have plenty of time to kill someone)

And the best part is that the trucking lobby is so strong that they've gotten license plates removed from cement and dump trucks in this area. So there's no way to identify them. (They claim the plates were too difficult to maintain on the truck as they were constantly being mangled in the daily life of construction work... the truth is that they're tired of paying for windshield damages)

Another time, I saw a dump truck driver blow through my daughter's school zone (marked 25mph with flashing lights) going at least 60mph. And talking on the phone. I actually followed him and we had a nice chat. I think I loosened a couple of his teeth.

Az

[AlmostTrick]

Japan did some research on making motorcycles more visible and discovered that they should appear to be hostile or have a frown when viewed head on.

I wish I could remember where I saw this report... it showed a motorcycle design with the paint and mirror locations with a pattern such, that head on, it looked angry... and that apparently grabbed the attention of motorists.

Perhaps we cyclists should adopt clothing and helmets to give us an angry look.

Don't know how this would help on overtaking accidents though.

I'm putting large shark teeth on the front of my helmet.

[Az B]

Don't know how this would help on overtaking accidents though.

If you have a big anough butt, it should be easy to paint something angry on it.

Az

[nelson249]

I wish some of these guys would take time to think things through before they start chucking their weight around. I was riding on a busy two lane road here there was a truck behind me who waited till the left lane was clear and then passed me. I gave him a friendly wave, thanking him for his courtesy. The driver behind him thought I gave the other driver the finger and proceeded to run me off the road. I hoped that driver was going to stop at the Hortons down the street so that I could have gotten a plate. He didn't, dammit. If I had fallen off my bike against the curb, there was an even chance I could have wound up under his wheels.

[Bikepacker67]

Use a mirror, and take the damn lane.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

Trucks are the only vehicle I consistantly have problems with
in mostly bike friendly Vermont. Im sure we represent something to
them they despise to consistantly be told 'your life is of no value to me'
the way they do. Total bully syndrome to the extreme.

[Bikepacker67]

Hey £em, how's New England these days? I'm kinda missing the old place.

[atbman]

[QUOTE=Az BAnd the best part is that the trucking lobby is so strong that they've gotten license plates removed from cement and dump trucks in this area. So there's no way to identify them. (They claim the plates were too difficult to maintain on the truck as they were constantly being mangled in the daily life of construction work... the truth is that they're tired of paying for windshield damages)
Az[/QUOTE]

Odd, that. Cement and dump trucks in the UK seem to manage to keep their licence plates reasonably visible - if not always as clean s they might be.

What area is this?

[-=£em in Pa=-]

B-packer67 : "Hey £em, how's New England these days? I'm kinda missing the old place."

^^^ Brrrrrrrr !! :eek: :eek: Its in the low 40's on my ride in now.
Where are you now, B-packer ???
Im not too good with airport designations, KVR ?
There is a great chance that we will be moving down souf in the next
20 months and I will definately miss this place :cry:
Except for the bike hatin' Truck-Billies :eek:

Wherever you are keep yer hand on the Zound and be safe ! :D

[Bikepacker67]

B-packer67 : "Hey £em, how's New England these days? I'm kinda missing the old place."

^^^ Brrrrrrrr !! :eek: :eek: Its in the low 40's on my ride in now.
Where are you now, B-packer ???
Im not too good with airport designations, KVR ?
There is a great chance that we will be moving down souf in the next
20 months and I will definately miss this place :cry:
Except for the bike hatin' Truck-Billies :eek:

Wherever you are keep yer hand on the Zound and be safe ! :D

I currently find myself in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada.
Great place.... looks like John Wayne could come moseying over any sagebrush covered bluff.

Ohhh and believe it or not, this little Canadian "pocket desert (http://www.desert.org/r_about.asp)" is similar in winter weather to south/central California.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

Wow !! Too cool ! Gunsmoke ???
A Spadefoot Toad is my third favorite amphibian reptile !!!! :roflmao:
You should write a book on your travels. Really.

[jakub.ner]

... I think I loosened a couple of his teeth.

Az

Golden. Is your nick "Az" because of your licence? :).

I really dunno WTF happened on Monday. I was coming back from a canoe trip and dropped off a friend in North York. Listening to 680 news I hear: 407 is closed because of a roll over, 409 is closed because of a roll over, Eglinton is closed because a cyclist was hit. 401 was a parking lot. I looked out the window: GOREGEOUS freaking weather and beautiful visibility. Just wanted to go back into the bush.

[ghettocruiser]

Back to the original incident. There was a small blurb in my community newspaper about this incident yesterday. The article was even less informative than the Toronto Star article, although they saw fit to change "hit by a cement truck" to "his bike collided with a cement truck".

I have the feeling this change reflects a subtle editorial bias rather than additional information from the investigation, but I'm just guessing.