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Family of cyclist killed in HGV crash: tackle dangerous roadsMercedes Econic at the launch of London's star rating for HGVs

Family of cyclist killed in HGV crash: tackle dangerous roads

The family of Esther Hartsilver, who was killed when a lorry driver turned left in Southwark, say too little is being done to improve London's roads...
by Laura Laker
Mon, Oct 03, 2016 14:50
11

The family of a woman killed when a lorry driver turned left into her path after failing to see her says not enough is being done to improve road safety in the capital.

Esther Hartsilver, 32, was killed when Co-op delivery driver, 47-year-old Phillip Beadle, turned left from Denmark Hill to Orpheus Place in Southwark, south London on May 28 2015. Beadle wept in court as he was cleared of causing death by careless driving on Friday, according to the Evening Standard.

Ms Hartsilver’s sister said the family doesn’t blame Beadle for the collision, but she criticised an apparent lack of improvement at the junction, which is controlled by Southwark Council, in the last year. The London Cycling Campaign echoed the family’s concerns not enough is being done to make London’s roads safer.

Lorry driver cleared of killing cyclist Esther Hartsilver

Ms Hartsilver’s sister Emma, a doctor, told the Standard: “Our concern the whole time has been road safety and whether enough is being done on dangerous roads like the one where Esther was killed to make them safer for cyclists.

“It’s been over a year since Esther was killed and it seems nothing has been done to make the junction where she was killed safer. No one has taken responsibility.

“Other cyclists have also died across London since. There have been so many accidents and it seems much more needs to be done to protect cyclists.”

She welcomed the announcement of a five star system that will see 35,000 of the most dangerous lorries banned from the capital’s streets but added London needs to catch up with other European cities on designing safer streets for cycling. 

“What happened was devastating,” she said, “but we feel no anger and no need for retribution against the driver. It was just a tragic accident on a road layout which is dangerous for cyclists.”

Cycling UK welcomes star rating to push most dagerous lorries out of the capital

The London Cycling Campaign’s Infrastructure Campaigner, Simon Munk, echoed the family’s sentiments.

“We’d agree with Esther Hartsilver’s family that much more could and should be done to make London safer for cycling,” he said. “Like the family, we welcome the Mayor’s recent announcement of plans to rid London’s streets of the very worst lorries and encourage moves towards ‘direct vision’ designs being the norm.

“But we also want to see those cycling given safe space on many more main roads, and key junctions improved for cycling and walking, as rapidly as possible. The Mayor pledged to do this thanks to calls from London Cycling Campaign’s members – now we need him to get on with it.”

The collision took place less than half a mile from Kings College Hospital where Hartsilver worked as a senior physiotherapist. She was taken there and died later that day.

Beadle said he checked his mirrors normally and had not seen Hartsilver pull alongside. Prosecutor Benedict Kelleher said that he “could and should” have spotted her in a six-second window before he made his turn.

Judge Raj Shetty thanked Beadle for the way in which he had conducted himself during the trial and praised the families of both Hartsilver and Beadle for their dignity.

Transport for London’s new five star system for lorries was based on research conducted by Loughborough University, published earlier this year, identifying the most dangerous types of lorry for cyclists and pedestrians. A combination of high cab, and too little direct vision of the road through the windscreen and offside mirror were found to be the greatest risk factors.

Southwark Council was contacted by road.cc regarding the junction in question. We will update the article when we receive a response.

 

Esther Hartsilver
Lorry fatality
HGV
blind spot
London Cycling Campaign
Laura Laker

Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.

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11 comments

Avatar
Yorkshie Whippet | 8 years ago
2 likes

Hang on folks, think about this logically. Dangerous things are banned.

Roads are now classed as dangerous, therefore they should be banned. No roads, no Tarmac to drive on. No traffic! Traffic free cycling and walking. We just have to ride gravel bikes or mtbs.

Avatar
davel | 8 years ago
3 likes

Don't complain - who wouldn't want to save 20 minutes in getting from London to Birmingham...

But seriously: not an inch of track or wheel of rolling stock exists yet... And possibly never will. And £1bn has been spent.

There's money. Just not for cycling.

Avatar
WillRod | 8 years ago
2 likes

Even if you ignore the lack of vision that trucks have, they are still too dangerous to be used near pedestrians and cyclists.

Most cars that get low scores on the Euro NCAP crash testing are either dodgy Far East rubbish, or big, blunt nosed vehicles like vans and pickups. An HGV wouldn't even get 1 star!

Compare a pedestrian being hit by a lorry at 20mph with a pedestrian being hit by a modern Volvo at 30-40mph and I bet the Volvo would still be safer!

Avatar
frogg | 8 years ago
1 like

@at ChrisB20

Yesterday it was the "lorries are dangerous ... and should be banned" ;

And frankly, the rider in orange suit; what he's doing there ? do you really think he's visible in the dark ?

But OK, we'll have more of "crashed by a lorry" and "hit by a car" ...

I'm still waiting for the "murdered by a careless truck driver texting to his girlfriend while speeding at 50mph ".

 

 

Avatar
burtthebike | 8 years ago
6 likes

A tragic case, but it isn't just London that needs improvements, it is the whole country.  We've had thirty years of governments extolling the virtues of cycling and walking, White papers, National Cycling Strategies, statements from prime ministers, we even had a minister for cycling, but nothing changes: all the money gets spent on building more roads for cars.  If there happens to be 50p left over after building the road, they consider doing something for cyclists, but only if it doesn't inconvenience a single driver by a single second.

Avatar
davel replied to burtthebike | 8 years ago
1 like
burtthebike wrote:

A tragic case, but it isn't just London that needs improvements, it is the whole country.  We've had thirty years of governments extolling the virtues of cycling and walking, White papers, National Cycling Strategies, statements from prime ministers, we even had a minister for cycling, but nothing changes: all the money gets spent on building more roads for cars.  If there happens to be 50p left over after building the road, they consider doing something for cyclists, but only if it doesn't inconvenience a single driver by a single second.

Don't forget the billion quid spent thus far on HS2.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to davel | 8 years ago
1 like

davel wrote:
burtthebike wrote:

A tragic case, but it isn't just London that needs improvements, it is the whole country.  We've had thirty years of governments extolling the virtues of cycling and walking, White papers, National Cycling Strategies, statements from prime ministers, we even had a minister for cycling, but nothing changes: all the money gets spent on building more roads for cars.  If there happens to be 50p left over after building the road, they consider doing something for cyclists, but only if it doesn't inconvenience a single driver by a single second.

Don't forget the billion quid spent thus far on HS2.

That would be the HS2 with no economic case would it?  While the economic case for providing for cyclists is proven, robust and massive, with huge public support, but HS2 still gets the funding.

Avatar
Grahamd | 8 years ago
3 likes

It is not just the lorries being too big but drivers being too arrogant and impatient. I nearly became a statistic today when I was overtaken by a lorry whilst I was  signalling right just at the point I was crossing  the central white line. No blind spot problem or road layout issue just a w@nker who didn't care less.

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 8 years ago
4 likes

Oh, I understand now, it's the roads that are dangerous, not the people driving on them!

Avatar
jasecd | 8 years ago
5 likes

Really feel for the family and totally understand the call for safer junctions but to me it's only a part of the issue.

A couple of years ago I sat in an HGV as part of the Met's cycling/road safety campaign and listened to the officer demonstrating and explaining about the relative blind spots. As we all know these vehicles have appalling vsiibilty and when said officer had finished his explanation he asked me for my conlusions - no doubt he was expecting me to say that I must keep clear of HGV's and never undrtake them etc., which are all valid points. However the first words out of my mouth and my overbearing feelings to this day were "What the hell are these vehicles doing in towns and cities?". Obviously the police officer had no answer for me and nor would I expect him to.

The mayor might be phasing out the worst designs but I strongly feel that they are just too big full stop and the fact is that as a society we continue to put private profit (larger vehicles = economies of scale) before public safety. It was clear to me that within ten seconds of sitting in that truck that this vehicle is too big and too unsafe to be allowed in crowded narrow streets. Yet they are and added in to this already unsafe situation you have a sizeable number of cretinous drivers, talking on phones, flouting traffic rules and bullying their way through the streets.

I can't speak to the beahviour of Phillip Beadle but I would guess that had he been in a vehicle that was suitable for the city, such as a van, then perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.

Avatar
nniff | 8 years ago
5 likes

It's also going to take increased responsibility on behalf of HGV drivers to observe and look properly before undertaking a manoeuvre that is potentially hazardous to vulnerable road users  - I was nearly squashed flat on Friday by a Post Office lorry that decided to do a U-turn - no indicating, no looking.  It's as close as I have ever come to being a statistic.

The remainder of my delighful commute incuded a proper left hook and a pull-out from a roundabout. 

I nearly got off and walked the rest

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