Cycle Alert Hosts Exchanging Places at Le Grand Départ

Cycle Alert Joins forces with West Yorkshire Police and Safer Roads Partnership to give an active demonstration in Blind-Spot Safety

The most common cause of serious injury and fatality to cyclists is collisions with Large Goods Vehicles.  Cycle Alert is giving cyclists the opportunity at this year Dare2Be Yorkshire Festival of Cycling (stand 67) to sit in the driver’s seat of an Eddie Stobart vehicle to see what the driver can and can’t see, and how difficult it can be to see a cyclist riding close to large vehicles.  Experienced officers will be on-hand to explain how these types of collision happen and the various ways to avoid them.

Peter Le Masurier, Cycle Alert’s co-founder said: “I highly recommend taking part in this event and getting an LGV driver’s eye-view of the road. LGVs and Public Service Vehicles can be dangerous and intimidating, but some knowledge about how they operate and how their drivers observe the world outside the vehicle, and what to do and not do as a cyclist can help you navigate the roads safer. This event give cyclists the chance to experience the road from a very different vantage point, in what we believe is an important learning experience.”

Peter Le Masurier is co-founder of blind-spot technology Cycle Alert – a system designed to help improve the visibility of cyclists – and he believes that technology can also be a part of the solution, when coupled with a greater emphasis on dialogue between bus and lorry drivers, cyclists, and all road users, and enhanced investment in cycle networks on Britain’s roads. There will also be an opportunity to find out more about Cycle Alert and put questions about the technology to him.

There will also be opportunity to get your bike registered and marked too, in an effort to reduce the high number of cycle thefts. West Yorkshire Police and Safer Roads Partnership are working in conjunction with Cycle Alert to offer these safety services.

Safer Roads Partnership’s Ewhen Chymera said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Cycle Alert. We both share an inherent interest in the promotion of cycle safety and raising awareness of the issues cyclists face on our roads. With the Tour de France Grand Départ approaching, this partnership will allow us to keep our legacy commitments of improving cycle safety and encouraging shared responsibility on Yorkshire’s roads.”

The event is free so if you’re interested, just pop along. There’ll be a friendly member of staff on-hand to take you through the various scenarios that can occur while you sit comfortably in the cab and play “spot-the-cyclist”. It’s an eye-opening experience: even in a LGV cab kitted out with lots of mirrors, there are many instances where the cyclist disappears completely from view.