I'm going to apologise in advance for the length of these post.
I will attend this ride. I have been becoming more and more upset at these cyclist deaths and I get the feeling we're all becoming a little complacent, almost like there's an acceptable level of fatalities, as long as it's not us or someone dear to us, the way most of society deals with the annual loss of life on the roads generally (about 3,00 a year isn't it). Well, it isn't acceptable, especially when there are things that can be done to minimise the risk these big vehicles pose to us on the streets, regardless of what mistakes we might make on the road.
I was tired today when I left work. An early start at 7, preparing for a big whole school special assembly I was delivering, followed by a day of teaching a class of lively ten year olds towards the end of a long busy half term and then delivering a training course leaves you pretty whacked. I should probably have got the bus home. Or had a strong coffee. But I didn't. Sometimes, even the most experienced of us make mistakes when we're tired.
I must have switched off for a moment on the way home. Prior to riding along a fairly quiet road which leads to Brockley Cross Roundabout I was as alert as usual heading along Old Kent Rd, up New Cross Rd, getting in the right position to turn right onto the one way system. Then once past the traffic lights, the road gets a bit quiet. My tired brain must have thought Phew!Relax. Switch to automatic pilot. The next thing I remember is some robotic female voice saying over and over again something like "This vehicle is turning left." I was suddenly fully alert again, hands on the brakes just in time to stop myself heading up the inside of a large cement lorry turning left on to the roundabout. I would have been squished. I consider myself a careful, competent, experienced rider. But today I made a mistake. If the company that owned that vehicle had not taken some responsibility for the danger their vehicles can pose, I may not be writing this now and some of you would be shaking your heads, tut tutting about yet another woman cyclist going up the inside of a large vehicle. What did she expect? What we should all expect and be shouting for is for all lorries to have every kind of safety device available that minimises the threat they pose to any cyclist. The fact that this one did today may have saved my life.
We don't always say it. Calm down, dear.
No don't. Stay angry. And do something about it.
