accident in peckham.... this morning, 8.45am

[sweetgirl]

there was a serious accident in peckham this morning, from what i gather a lady was under a lorry. all buses were on diversion & other traffic..... alot of drama in the streets of south east today!

there was also an incident in new cross today.... more traffic!

any news on either incidents??

[bon3yard]

This was truly horrendous. I got their a couple of hours after the unfortunate Ladies body was taken away. Another cyclist crushed to death trying to pass an artic lorry on the inside at a corner. The bike was still under the wheels...as were a pair of shoes. Tragic and Sobering.

[sweetgirl]

OMG! i cant beleive it... i didn't realise it was fatal! may she rest in peace.

[taper]

I read that she survived.

[louisiana]

I have heard on another forum that she has a broken hip, but no idea of seriousness beyond that.

[bon3yard]

Maybe I was steered wrong on that one, I hope so.

[sweetgirl]

lets hope she survived.........

[louisiana]

There's a photo of the road scene on Southwark News website.

[louisiana]

It's a Volvo truck with two containers. What on earth this vehicle was doing turning into theat road....

Southwark News says:" A lorry driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving."

From the company website:

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"RPS Transport is an East of England based transport company with depots in Suffolk and Norfolk. Specialising in container transport, RPS operates primarily out of Felixstowe Docks for clients across mainland UK.

With a fleet of 16 modern Volvo trucks equipped with state-of-the-art tracking equipment, RPS is unique for its size in that it provides customers with

up-to-the-minute information about the location of their cargo.

As professionals in Container Haulage, RPS believes in raising the standard of container transport services by operating a modern fleet of vehicles equipped with the latest Euro spec engines designed to run in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner."

---

Raising the standard, eh?

[dv1]

So you already decided the driver was at fault. The arrest is standard practice in such indidents - doesn't mean he is guilty.

[PeckhamRose]

on SUSPICION of ...

[louisiana]

dv1 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So you already decided the driver was at fault.

> The arrest is standard practice in such indidents

> - doesn't mean he is guilty.

Being arrested on "suspicion of dangerous driving" is not standard. Most people involved in road accidents do not have that happen to them. It merits a mandatory driving disqualification if found guilty (whatever happens to the victom), which again is uncommon. There are many deaths on the road where the driver is at fault but not arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving (but of a lesser offence).

I know the streets concerned, as a motorist and as a cyclist, and I'm fairly surprised this vehicle did what it did, TBH. But that's my opinion.

My point was really about lots of guff about standards of the modern trucks and the environment etc. That's what their text is about. Transportation is not all about powerful engines and GPS and all that CSR stuff. As the number of women cyclists who have recently been killed on London streets by such trucks (check it out) could probably testify.

[Muley]

A couple of weeks ago the City police held an initiative inviting cyclists to see themselves from a lorry drivers point of view. They had a Eddie Stobart wagon parked up in a side street and the idea was that you sat up in the drivers seat while an officer walked down the inside lane with your bike, just like an 'undertaking' cyclist, while you watched for him in the rear view mirrors. I didn't take it too seriously but thought well, why not?

It was a shock- even when specifically watching out for the guy he could barely be seen. No more than a tiny speck, even with the huge mirrors & convex mirrors. When the bike could be seen it's also impossible to gauge its speed, and the blind spot on these things is immense.

My point is not so much to comment on this specific incident but just a heads up as to just how much of a wide berth these lorries need to be given.

[SimonM]

Surely the answer is to ban such lorries entirely from, say, within the inner ring road? I seem to recall Livingstone wanted to do soemthing along those lines but was stopped, reluctantly, by a judge.

[blah]

canals are the solution

[Asset]

I don't know the details and I'm not passing judgement on anyone's driving/cycling in this situation, but there are a lot of inexperienced people who think they can just jump on a bike and ride merrily around London.

I regularly see cyclists blithely riding up the inside of large vehicles unaware of the danger they could be in.

There is free cycle training available and really, people should use it.

[louisiana]

I totally agree Asset, training is always really good, but I'd highlight that many of the cyclists killed by large lorries have been experienced cyclists e.g. the woman recently killed at Elephant.

[Asset]

looking at where the flowers etc were placed, I'd say the truck was at fault in that particular situation.

[chrisroygbiv]

So is she still alive? I was there when it happened the shriek was horrible i think the bus i was on was the last bus to pass through, when i was there one of her legs was under it, it was disgusting how the school kids reacted, laughing then i heard one say "i'm watching this, i don't care if im late!" felt like punching one of them, that stuck with me through the whole day even my exam. >.