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Bicycle Accidents London

Bike Safety — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:08:50 +0000

Cyclists can dice with death every time they put foot to pedal, especially in cities. In London last year 562 cyclists were seriously injured in road accidents and 12 actually died in patient care

If the heavy traffic and careless drivers don’t get you, then you face being choked to death by exhaust fumes. Experts link rising pollution levels to the increase in the number of people suffering from asthma and the volume of road traffic in the UK is predicted to increase by over 80% in the next 25 years.

Paul Heseltine, a computer programmer, who has been cycling in London for over 20 years has had a catalogue of close calls.

“I’ve been hit by a pallet distribution truck … I’ve run into about two or three car doors which have just been opened in front of me. I was even beaten up by somebody who actually ran into me watching 3d TV without glasses… But I don’t seem to have as many accidents as I used to, maybe I am becoming just a little bit more careful or maybe I am just slowing up a little bit. ”

His advice for wary cyclists is “to just keep your eyes open”.

Cyclist Awareness Training part of Driver CPC Training

Bike Safety — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:03:01 +0000

For many Londoners the Boris Bike is part of their daily lives. 29,200 cycle journeys were made using Barclays Cycle Hire on its busiest day so far. More than 128,000 people are now Barclays Cycle Hire members. Transport for London expect the scheme will break even in three or four years. However Bicycle safety is now gaining greater aware and Lorry drivers in London will now have the option to add a cyclist awareness course to their CPC training for free.

The course will be partly funded by Transport For London. It will include both practical and theory-based training in order to improve their conduct around cyclists in the capital.

This will involve bike-riding on a busy road and formal discussions with keen cyclists amongst other activities. Similar courses have been made available to those in logistics work before, but this is the first which has been made available at no extra cost to drivers.

It is hoped the move will dramatically reduce the amount of accidents featuring HGVs and bicycles throughout the capital.

The idea reportedly spurned from Lambeth, where the borough’s cycling officer spotted a similar workshop aimed at HGV awareness for cyclists. Now, it is hoped that the removal of a fee will see many lorry drivers learn about the dangers of cyclists.

Speaking to bikeradar.com, a spokesperson from the Freight Operator Recognition Scheme claimed it would be useful for the course to spread across the UK.

He said: “We’d like to see it adopted throughout the country…a lot of freight distribution drivers come into London so it would be great if local authorities and lorry operators around the country adopted it.”

Safe Cycling

Bike Safety — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:19:24 +0000

You’ll need the right clothing and safety equipment if you’re going to cycle regularly on busy roads. You should know the Highway Code and how to ride with confidence. Get advice on the gear you’ll need and how to handle busy roads.

Make sure you have the right gear

Fit a bell to your bike so you can signal to other road users

Make sure you wear clothing that’s appropriate for cycling. You should be able to move freely without anything getting caught in your bike’s chain or wheels, or covering your lights. You should wear:

light-coloured or fluorescent clothing that helps other road users to see you in daylight and poor light
reflective clothing and/or accessories, like a belt or arm/ankle bands, in the dark

Your rucksack can affect your balance on a bike if it’s too big or heavy. You could use panniers instead.

Helmets

Helmets can help prevent a head injury if you fall from your bike. You should wear a helmet that:

meets the British Standard (BS EN 1078:1997)
is a snug fit and positioned squarely on your head – sitting just above your eyebrows, not tilted back or tipped forwards
is securely fastened by straps, which aren’t twisted, with only enough room for two fingers between your chin and the strap

Make sure you replace your helmet every five years. Don’t buy a second-hand helmet – it may be damaged and not protect you properly.

Compulsory lights and reflectors

If you use your bike at night or when visibility is poor, you must fit a:

white front light
red rear light
red rear reflector
amber/yellow pedal reflectors – front and back on each pedal

Reflectors fitted to the front and the spokes will also help you to be seen.

You can get lights that are steady or flashing or a mixture (steady at the front and flashing at the back). A steady light at the front is important when you’re cycling through areas without good street lighting.

Check that any steady lights meet BS 6102-3. Flashing lights don’t have to meet the standard but they must:

flash at a rate of one to four equal flashes per second
be at least four candelas in brightness

Your pedal reflectors and rear reflector must meet BS 6102-2. You can also use a light or reflector that meets a standard accepted by another European Commission (EC) country (equal to the British Standard).

Additional lights and reflectors

You can use other lights as well as the compulsory ones but they must:

be the right colour – white at the front, red at the back
not dazzle other road users

If they flash, it must be at a rate of one to four equal flashes per second.

Bike Safety

Bike Safety — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:04:43 +0000

Bike Injuries Are Common

Take this dream for a spin: The sun is shining, there’s not a cloud in the sky, and your crush just called to ask if you want to go on a bike ride. You dust off your brother’s old bike and picture yourself on a hillside adrenaline rush, riding into the sunset with your sweetie.

OK, hit “pause” for a second and get practical. Want to enjoy the ride without ending up in a humiliating pretzel-shaped pile on the side of the trail?

Bike injuries are common. So follow the tips below to really enjoy your ride.

Pick the Right Bike

Can you make your brother’s sleek racer pass for a mountain mule? Nope. If you’re headed on a hillside trek and don’t want to pull out a patch kit after 5 minutes, you’ll need to choose a mountain bike for its rugged, chunky tires, and trail-grabbing capabilities. The reverse is true, too — when you’re going for speed on a paved surface, all those high-tech shocks and other mountain-climbing gadgets will do nothing to help you catch up with the distant speck on the horizon that’s your cycling partner.

So what do you do? If you’re not into buying a new bike, check out bike shops in your area for rentals. Not all stores rent bikes, but some do — like renting snowboards or skis, they think it gives their customers a chance to try before they buy.

There’s more to the bike than just what kind of trails you’ll be riding. Fit is just as important. Here are some ways to tell you if yours is right:

When sitting on the bike, you should be able to just about fully extend your legs to reach the pedals when they are in the lowest position.
When standing astride the bar with your feet flat on either side, there should be about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of space between your crotch and the crossbar for a road bike and 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 centimeters) for a mountain bike. Guys especially will be thankful for that space if there’s ever a need to unexpectedly jump off the seat.
If you’re still growing, make sure that your bike’s seat post and handlebars can be raised a bit to adjust to your new height.

Bike Equipment

Bike Safety — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:57:14 +0000

There is a variety of Bike Safety equipments available to cyclist.

Good Bike lights are first and foremost for most cyclists particularly during those early morning and evening cycle rides when most accidents happen

Boris Bikes

Bike Safety — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:57:12 +0000

I am an avid Chelsea supporter (as well as daily user of Boris Bikes).

I recently traveled to Stamford Bridge on a trusty Boris Bike to get my Chelsea Tickets for the Genk vs Chelsea Champions League game.

On arrival near Stamford Bridge there was not a single empty docking station for a radius of 3 miles – this meant a major delay and then hike back to Stamford Bridge to collect myChelsea Tickets for the game on Tuesday.

Maybe when I need Premier League football tickets for Chelsea Tickets, Manchester United Tickets, Liverpool FC Tickets & Arsenal tickets, Euro 2012 tickets I should use the Chelsea FC website rather than spend time traipsing down to Stamford Bridge

Sometimes this is one of the major drawbacks of the Barclays Bike System when the bikes are not being circulated sufficiently and vacant spots aren’t left for incoming Boris Bikes and of course the current scheme has not extended as far West as places like Stamford Bridge

However, a TfL spokesman said: “Our current priorities are to extend the scheme to the east of London in time for the Olympics.”

Well what about the 30,000 football fans that go to Chelsea on a regular basis?

London Cycle Hire

Bike Safety — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:57:11 +0000

There is a wide variety of cycle hire locations in London but the best scheme is the Boris Bikes.

If you can cope with the Dangerous Goods Transport on London’s roads then you should be OK

Web Design WordPress

Bike Safety — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:18:38 +0000

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