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Tarmac safer lorryConstruction firm Tarmac trials safer cement mixer lorry in London (+ video)
A major construction company is trialling a new design of cement mixer truck that is aimed to improve the safety of vulnerable road users including cyclists.
Tarmac says it is the first UK company to test a Mercedes Benz Econic cement mixer, which includes safety features such as full-height glass doors and a wider view through the windscreen to improve visibility and reduce blind spots.
The 26-tonne vehicle will operate from the company’s Silvertown depot in east London, with the initiative accopanied by increased training for its drivers.
The company’s national transport manager, Sean McGrae, said: “We operate the largest vehicle fleet in the industry, and are committed to improving vulnerable road user safety across the UK.
“The trial of the Econic mixer is part of our broader approach to road user safety.
“We are pleased to be working with vehicle manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to trial this revolutionary new safety design. As an industry, it’s important that we continually explore opportunities to drive improvements in this area.”
Heavy goods vehicles make up just 4 per cent of London’s traffic, but are involved in around half of cyclist fatalities in the city, with the vehicle in question often involved in the construction industry, such as tipper trucks.
The London Cycling Campaign has called for lorry design to be improved to help make it safer for cyclists when sharing the roads with such vehicles under its Safer Lorries campaign, elements of which have been adopted by Transport for London for lorries using the capital's majpr roads.
A Mercedes Benz Econic tipper truck is already being trialled in London by construction company Cemex UK, as featured in this video.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- Surreyrider 8 sec ago
Is a 0 missing on the length of sentence?
- chrisonabike 2 min 26 sec ago
Try running it though a spelling and grammar checker?...
- hawkinspeter 21 min 13 sec ago
Totally agree - that's a very nice route for walking along by the river when you're not forced onto Crews Hole Rd.
- brooksby 24 min 39 sec ago
There are a lot of people out there who seem to think exactly that. It's like all those times that the traffic lights change as you are halfway...
- Freddy56 1 hour 6 min ago
Is the headline not misleading. when the stock was purchased at 3 million in the fire sale with estimated 80 million at retail and blown out for...
- brooksby 1 hour 30 min ago
No, you're not missing anything. I've just re-read the original article and I clearly just presumed they would hand in their licence…
- hawkinspeter 1 hour 41 min ago
That still annoys me about the BBC - iplayer only keeps some programmes available for a short time, so we have to rely on people making copies to...
- nextSibling 2 hours 32 min ago
The point of limited-run models like these isn't to make a profit. It's a marketing exercise to get the brand in the media via filler articles that...
- FionaJJ 3 hours 2 min ago
Seems like a flaw. I wonder who decided that? Surely it's in everyone's interests to come up with an agreement that a portion of the car-park be...
- chrisonabike 3 hours 8 min ago
Don't forget the hour record!...
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13 comments
I trick I learned when riding a motorbike was that if I could see the driver in the mirror, then they could see me.
I ask cyclists to try this the next time you're around any vehicle, you might be surprised.
That's not taking into account the number or styles of vehicles that I've driven, giving me a driver's eye view too.
EDIT: Also try making eye contact with with the driver. You know that feeling you get when someone is looking at you?
Certainly it would help if these and other truck drivers spent some time cycling on busy roads too - also could some of the fools who post incendiary and idiotic comments on here spend some time in a truck on busy roads, that might help too. I'm not wrong.
How about tying the drivers children to the near side of the truck. Should help to focus their mind a bit more.
I hope no-one in Calais reads that...
So how about all the older trucks on the road typically driven by drivers of cowboy operators who have no intention of splashing out £150k on a brand new truck with these features? Will they be banned from the roads? Didn't think so.
This isn't exactly a new design HGV, all this vehicle is, is a refuse lorry with a cement mixer on the chassis instead of the compactor type body of a refuse lorry.
Refuse lorry: https://mercedesbenzblogphotodb.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/econic-ngt-n...
Well done Tarmac. Though while inroads are being made by the company in vehicular design. Some work still needs done in regards to their drivers. Today I was practically forced off the road by a Tarmac vehicle
Bravo to Tarmac, especially with enhanced training too but I hope this doesn't imbue some cyclists with a false sense of security. Safety is a two way street after all.
well done tarmac what a positive move, they look much friendlier to cyclists.
Well done Tarmac, I think these would save lives and cut down on serious injuries.
We also need a nationwide deadline for fitting full visibility mirrors to older vehicles and a declaration that any vehicles without by such date will be banned from the roads.
Much like the current sytem of mirrors, this will only work if the driver uses them.
Lets try and be positive here.
Tarmac are a large company of which many of their type of lorries cause injuries and deaths. It is good to see a firm look at something and trial it. Because if they do it others will follow.
I'd place the skills of your average artic driver far above those of the average motorist. Although the picture is of a tipper truck and I hate tipper trucks, so I'm somewhat torn.