Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Video: London cyclist in very scary close pass by Serco van

Rider squeezed to side of Cycle Superghighway by van belonging to same company that services Santander Cycles fleet

A London cyclist has shared a video of a close pass that happened on one of the city's Cycle Superhighways - with the vehicle involved operated by Serco, the same company that services the capital's Santander Cycles hire bike fleet.

There's been a lot of attention paid to the issue in recent months in the mainstream media thanks to the close pass initiative unveiled last year by West Midlands Police, but we have to say, this is one of the worst we have seen.

We've contacted the cyclist, Lee Christensen, for a comment regarding the incident, which involved a van of the type typically used for transporting prisoners.

 

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.

Add new comment

16 comments

Avatar
DaveE128 | 7 years ago
0 likes

And should the vehicle even have been using the bus lane at all? I don't know whether they count as buses or whether they have the minimum 10 seats to qualify to use a bus lane.

Avatar
DaveE128 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Road.cc, how about approaching serco for comment?
Media contact points available here:
https://www.serco.com/uk/contact-us

Avatar
Colin Peyresourde | 7 years ago
2 likes

Pretty awful. But I hate cycle lanes because they are just a piece of blue slippery paint, and they're barely respected. That one appears to 'end' shortly thereafter - begs the question what special protection does the blue streak afford?

Avatar
beezus fufoon replied to Colin Peyresourde | 7 years ago
1 like
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Pretty awful. But I hate cycle lanes because they are just a piece of blue slippery paint, and they're barely respected. That one appears to 'end' shortly thereafter - begs the question what special protection does the blue streak afford?

seems to only serve to encourage the cyclist to ride in the gutter, which is arguably what encouraged the pass in the first place!

Avatar
tom_w replied to beezus fufoon | 7 years ago
3 likes
beezus fufoon wrote:

seems to only serve to encourage the cyclist to ride in the gutter, which is arguably what encouraged the pass in the first place!

The cycle lane there isn't even wide enough for the rider to ride in the position recommended by the close pass initiative, so it's completely pointless.  The "Cyclists should ride 0.75m from the kerb and cars must give them 1.5m overtaking space" needs to be enshrined into the Highway Code asap.

Avatar
beezus fufoon replied to tom_w | 7 years ago
2 likes
tom_w wrote:
beezus fufoon wrote:

seems to only serve to encourage the cyclist to ride in the gutter, which is arguably what encouraged the pass in the first place!

The cycle lane there isn't even wide enough for the rider to ride in the position recommended by the close pass initiative, so it's completely pointless.  The "Cyclists should ride 0.75m from the kerb and cars must give them 1.5m overtaking space" needs to be enshrined into the Highway Code asap.

agree, but lose the "should ride 0.75m from the kerb" bit - I ususally ride between 1 and 1.5 metres out

Avatar
Slartibartfast replied to beezus fufoon | 7 years ago
2 likes
beezus fufoon wrote:

seems to only serve to encourage the cyclist to ride in the gutter, which is arguably what encouraged the pass in the first place!

Victim blaming perhaps? Possibly right though. I found myself on a windy/windy country main road at around 6pm yesterday and was constantly passed by cars on blind corners, often on double white lines. It got to the point that I just started taking the lane every time I heard a car approaching on a blind bend, it mostly stopped them from passing. Still got close passed by artics and countless BMWs whatever I did. Some people will always risk it, but forcing people to pass in the opposite lane (as they should anyway!) seems to make people stop and think.

Avatar
ktache | 7 years ago
3 likes

But it's not just a choice between hitting a big metal thing or a squishy thing, there is often the choice of that braking thingy.  But that would delay them just a little bit and mean getting to the next queue of traffic a little bit slower.

Avatar
davel replied to ktache | 7 years ago
2 likes
ktache wrote:

But it's not just a choice between hitting a big metal thing or a squishy thing, there is often the choice of that braking thingy.  But that would delay them just a little bit and mean getting to the next queue of traffic a little bit slower.

I'd put last-minute braking and/or swerving in the 'evasive action' category - they just shouldn't be getting into those situations as frequently. That was kind of the point of my second paragraph - fix the behaviour that gets the numpties into those situations in the first place.

Avatar
jhudsy | 7 years ago
5 likes

The van is clearly in the right, as there's what looks like one of those "cyclists stay back" stickers on the back of it.

Avatar
spen | 7 years ago
2 likes

It looks like the driver is actually looking at his nearside mirror ad he passes and yet still continues to pull to the left. Defies belief

Avatar
Critchio replied to spen | 7 years ago
2 likes
spen wrote:

It looks like the driver is actually looking at his nearside mirror ad he passes and yet still continues to pull to the left. Defies belief

This is the mentality of most drivers, it's happened to me. Drivers will in most cases collide with a cyclist rather than another vehicle in a potential crash situation as its conditioned in people not to hit another vehicle.

Its crazy. I was riding to work one morning and a driver tried to pass me at 24mph through a gap that just wasn't there. His mirror hit me forcing the pedal into the kerb and over I go. Fortunately not hurt and just scratches to bike.

The crazy thing is we were approaching a red light that had been red for few seconds.

Unless you are a driver that is also a cyclist you will treat cyclists as a nuisance rather than a vulnerable road user and until that perception changes the carnage will continue

Avatar
davel replied to Critchio | 7 years ago
2 likes
Critchio wrote:
spen wrote:

It looks like the driver is actually looking at his nearside mirror ad he passes and yet still continues to pull to the left. Defies belief

This is the mentality of most drivers, it's happened to me. Drivers will in most cases collide with a cyclist rather than another vehicle in a potential crash situation as its conditioned in people not to hit another vehicle.

Its crazy. I was riding to work one morning and a driver tried to pass me at 24mph through a gap that just wasn't there. His mirror hit me forcing the pedal into the kerb and over I go. Fortunately not hurt and just scratches to bike.

The crazy thing is we were approaching a red light that had been red for few seconds.

Unless you are a driver that is also a cyclist you will treat cyclists as a nuisance rather than a vulnerable road user and until that perception changes the carnage will continue

Crash into a big metal thing or little squishy thing? Little squishy thing, 10 times out of 10. I disagree that it is conditioned - I think it's instinct. Can't change that; shouldn't try to.

The behaviour, the terrible judgement, poor overtaking, impatience, incompetence that gets drivers into situations where they might hit the squishy thing - we should go all out to knock that out of the idiots.

Avatar
CygnusX1 | 7 years ago
12 likes

Throw the driver in the back, and drive the van to its original destination. Do not pass go and do not collect £200.

Avatar
Russell Orgazoid | 7 years ago
9 likes

I think I'd want to drag that imbecile out through his fucking windscreen!

He needs a visit from plod and a word from his employer.

The Argos stockroom is next in his career, I hope.

Avatar
Man of Lard | 7 years ago
6 likes

Is that a bus lane or a bus/HGV/taxi/uncle Tom Cobley & all lane?

Struggling to see why the Serco meatwagon is in the lane in the first place - and that's before the close pass...

Latest Comments