There is only one police unit in London qualified to carry out HGVchecks.

Boris plans to scrap it.


Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

On Oct 14, 11:13*am, spindrift wrote:
Boris plans to scrap it.

Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

City of London [Police] spot checks on HGVs [were] carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.

On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police. Five
of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the 2012
Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at least
one way

Repeat:



a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).

spindrift wrote:

City of London [Police] spot checks on HGVs [were] carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.

On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police. Five
of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the 2012
Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at least
one way

Do you have a credible source (one not based on hearsay) to support that
assertion?

The police and/or VOSA usually issue press releases about such
operations, especially if the results are sensational. Can you find one
covering the event you describe?

--
Matt B

On Oct 14, 11:13*am, spindrift wrote:
Boris plans to scrap it.

Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

Turning to the issues of lorries, Inspector Aspinall told the meeting
about a day of City of London spot checks on HGVs, carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.


On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police.
Five of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the
2012 Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at
least one way.

Repeat: a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).
In some cases the drivers were given a warning and in other cases
there was a more formal police follow up. No information was given on
convictions following this operation.


Inspector Aspinall said that the London construction vehicle market
(skips, cement mixers, construction materials haulage) was very tight
and competitive. Shady operators with dubious standards and legality
exerted a downward pressure on market prices and that was forcing even
the more responsible companies to cut corners in order to win tenders

.. Some companies were even factoring into their costs the
inevitability of a certain number of fines for breaches of the law.

I found this revelation shocking.


http://thebikeshow.net/city-of-londo...orum/#more-342

On Oct 14, 11:16*am, spindrift wrote:
On Oct 14, 11:13*am, spindrift wrote:



Boris plans to scrap it.

Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

City of London [Police] spot checks on HGVs [were] carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.

On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police. Five
of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the 2012
Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at least
one way

Repeat:

*a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).

The question has just come up.

spindrift wrote:

Turning to the issues of lorries, Inspector Aspinall told the meeting
about a day of City of London spot checks on HGVs, carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.


On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police.
Five of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the
2012 Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at
least one way.

Repeat: a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).
In some cases the drivers were given a warning and in other cases
there was a more formal police follow up. No information was given on
convictions following this operation.


Inspector Aspinall said that the London construction vehicle market
(skips, cement mixers, construction materials haulage) was very tight
and competitive. Shady operators with dubious standards and legality
exerted a downward pressure on market prices and that was forcing even
the more responsible companies to cut corners in order to win tenders

. Some companies were even factoring into their costs the
inevitability of a certain number of fines for breaches of the law.

I found this revelation shocking.

http://thebikeshow.net/city-of-londo...orum/#more-342

Do you have a credible source (one not based on hearsay) to support the
claim that such an event actually took place?

Presumably, if did take place, you can find a police or VOSA press
release describing it - or even a mention in the mainstream press?

--
Matt B

On Oct 14, 12:27*pm, spindrift wrote:
On Oct 14, 11:16*am, spindrift wrote:



On Oct 14, 11:13*am, spindrift wrote:

Boris plans to scrap it.

Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

City of London [Police] spot checks on HGVs [were] carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.

On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police. Five
of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the 2012
Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at least
one way

Repeat:

*a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).

The question has just come up.

Although the webcast is bust:

http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/webcasts.jsp

On Oct 14, 12:30*pm, spindrift wrote:
On Oct 14, 12:27*pm, spindrift wrote:



On Oct 14, 11:16*am, spindrift wrote:

On Oct 14, 11:13*am, spindrift wrote:

Boris plans to scrap it.

Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

City of London [Police] spot checks on HGVs [were] carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.

On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police. Five
of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the 2012
Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at least
one way

Repeat:

*a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).

The question has just come up.

Although the webcast is bust:

http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/webcasts.jsp

Apparently Boris has been sending educational DVDs out to freight
operators about taking appropriate care for cycles, who thinks that
one is making a difference?




I would suggest that HGV drivers in illegal vehicles who have no
insurance couldn't give a flying **** about educational dvds.

spindrift wrote:

I would suggest that HGV drivers in illegal vehicles who have no
insurance couldn't give a flying **** about educational dvds.

You could be right, which is why the solution lies elsewhere.

We need to concentrate more on the /real/ underlying cause of
"accidents" involving trucks, and not be obsessed with irrelevant
technicalities. Human nature is a "given", so the the laws of human
nature need to accommodated, not defied.

Would you trust a bridge, the safety of which relied on the law of
gravity being defied?

--
Matt B

On Oct 14, 12:46*pm, spindrift wrote:
On Oct 14, 12:30*pm, spindrift wrote:



On Oct 14, 12:27*pm, spindrift wrote:

On Oct 14, 11:16*am, spindrift wrote:

On Oct 14, 11:13*am, spindrift wrote:

Boris plans to scrap it.

Questions going to the Mayor tomorrow include:

Will the cuts to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit make London's
roads less safe for cyclists?

HGVs in London have a dreadful safety record. Because the HSE refuse
to get involved in road deaths as opposed to deaths onsite, cyclists
deaths are ignored on London's roads and penalties to killer drivers
are laughable.

The most dangerous vehilces, the ones that pose the greatest danger
and the ones that are involved in a disproportionate number of deaths,
are given even greater leeway to lumber around a medievel road layout
unimpeded.

City of London [Police] spot checks on HGVs [were] carried out on 30
September 2008 as part of the Europe-wide Operation Mermaid, which is
intended to step up levels of enforcement of road safety laws in
relation to lorries.

On this one day, 12 lorries were stopped randomly by City Police. Five
of those lorries were involved in the construction work for the 2012
Olympics. All of the twelve lorries were breaking the law in at least
one way

Repeat:

*a 100 per cent criminality rate among small random sample of
HGVs on the streets of central London. The offences range included
overweight loads (2 cases), mechanical breaches (5 cases), driver
hours breaches (5 cases), mobile phone use while driving (2 cases),
driving without insurance (2 cases) and no operator license (1 case).

The question has just come up.

Although the webcast is bust:

http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/webcasts.jsp

Apparently Boris has been sending educational DVDs out to freight
operators about taking appropriate care for cycles, who thinks that
one is making a difference?

I would suggest that HGV drivers in illegal vehicles who have no
insurance couldn't give a flying **** about educational dvds.

Appeal for witnesses to fatal collision, 29th June 0820, Kennington

From Moving Target:

My name is Anish Patel and I am the husband of Catriona [Cockburn]
1. On Monday 29th June at around 08.20, Catriona died as a result of a
collision with a green Tipper lorry at Kennington Park Road, at the
junction with Harleyford Street. I would like to make a personal
appeal for anyone who was in the Oval area that morning , who saw
Catriona or the tipper, to come forward as a potential witness.

Even if you did not see the incident directly, you may still have
useful information on the lead up to, or aftermath of the incident.
So, please, I urge you to come forward. Any information, no matter how
insignificant it may seem, may be crucial to the case. I and the
entire family would like to understand what happened on that day and
you may have seen something that is relevant.

Please contact the Collision Investigation Unit Witness Line on
020 8941 9011 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you have any
information. Many thanks, Anish.