HGV Drivers Cycling for Charity
Be-known to many of us is that the majority of cyclists are motorists too - in fact we might not have ever had the motor car in its current form had it not been for the bicycle - as Carlton Reid writes about it so eloquently on a recent piece in The Telegraph. Carlton tells of the motor car’s evolution from the bicycle where he makes reference to the “phoney war” between cyclists and motorists, “Despite their increasing numbers, cyclists feel vulnerable, marginalised; frequently subjected to the incorrect lament from passing motorists that they “don’t pay road tax”.
[I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to hold my head in my hands upon hearing of the Tories’ re-introduction of road tax, thinking, “God, this ruins everything; my preferred mode of transport has been effectively demoted, etc, etc”]
The “us, them” gap is subject to increase further when we talk about cyclists and drivers of large goods vehicles, or HGVs. It is little wonder, when collisions with lorries cause about 50% of cyclist fatalities in London, even though HGVs make up only five percent of the traffic.
Cycle Alert has made some headway into pushing Exchanging Places events for cyclists and safer urban driving training for lorry drivers and it’s pleasing to see attitudes changing and evolving and, as Carlton demonstrates we’re one and the same as us folk took from cycling to driving large, larger, gargantuan vehicles, these great HGV drivers demonstrate the same as they show their dedication to the humble bicycle in order to raise large, larger, gargantuan pots of money for charity.
There are 15 Veolia drivers cycling from London to Paris for “First Touch“, a charity that supports sick and premature babies at St George’s Hospital, Tooting
The neonatal unit at St George’s Hospital cares for 600 babies each year. Many of the babies in their care have been born prematurely, with some mothers having only just reached 24 weeks of pregnancy (40 weeks is generally considered normal). Donations to their work at St. George’s helps to provide these babies with life-saving surgeries and nurture babies to grow up to be healthy, happy children with bright futures.
We learned about their quest, having fitted their vehicles with Cycle Alert and it was lovely and humbling to hear of their passion for cycling and for the cause. In preparation for ride the team have completed two London to Brighton rides as well as many training sessions and now getting ready to set off from their Head office in London on the 4th September, with a view to ride into Paris late on Sunday 6th September.
We’re wishing these guys all the very best and we do hope you will join us in supporting their worthy cause. To donate, just check out their JustGiving webpage here.
