The Costain Skanska JV working for Crossrail supported an event at Bond Street aimed at improving safety in the UK haulage industry
The Crossrail campaign is aimed at encouraging widespread change in the UK haulage industry. It includes vehicle upgrades, such as the installation of new safety equipment to alert drivers to vulnerable road users.
Measures include fitting HGVs with Fresnel lenses or cameras, blind spot detection equipment which warns the driver when a cyclist is in the near-side blind spot and under-run guards to prevent cyclists from coming into contact with lorry wheels.
Vehicles must also carry warning signs to alert cyclists and pedestrians of the risks they face by getting too close to HGVs.
Today (3 May) as part of activities at Bond Street, cyclists were given the chance to take a lorry driver’s seat.
Skanska civil engineering operations director Glennan Blackmore said:
“Safety is our top priority. Through our journey to an Injury-Free Environment (IFE) we are fully supportive of Crossrail’s commitment to lorry safety and we are proud to be part of the team that are helping lead this change.
”The event provides an excellent opportunity for cyclists to put themselves into the lorry driver’s position. It gives them a better understanding of the challenges of driving such a large vehicle, which in London can be down busy streets.”
Further details, including the full news release, are available on Crossrail’s website.