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Exchanging Places - raising awareness of cycle safety

Recently, cyclists caught breaking the laws of the road at Theobalds Road / Vernon Place were stopped and given a choice; either pay a fixed penalty fine or spend approximately ten minutes in a bus driver's cab to receive a lecture on safer cycling.

Arriva London teamed up with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and TfL, by providing a driver and bus. Del Pitcher, Assistant Training Manager for Arriva London South, and Nik Partou, Communications Support Manager for Arriva London, spent the day on the bus stand at Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury.

Most of the cyclists who were caught contravening the red traffic signals or illegally travelling in the contra-flow bus lane chose the lecture instead of a fine. They were spoken to by a police officer from the Traffic Incident Investigation Team about defensive pedal cycling. A police cyclist travelled along the nearside of the bus to demonstrate the difficulties a bus driver may experience in observing a cyclist obscured within any "blind spots".

“All of those that chose the educational approach said they found the exercise to be very useful and they would change their cycling technique; this is all about education and sharing the road”, said Del.

Nik said, “We often find cyclists either breaking rules on the road or making very dangerous manoeuvres that can put their own and other lives at stake. I think the Exchanging Places event is a very good idea and we are only too pleased to help educate cyclists of the importance of defensive cycling and give them an opportunity to actually see things from a bus driver’s perspective.”

“I was pleased when I was informed the event was arranged as a direct result of drivers using the Code Blue facility on their iBus radios to alert CentreComm of the issues they face daily in the bus lane. It just goes to show that this facility does work and that we must continue to report such instances.”

Arriva London trains its drivers to the highest standards, and actively supports road safety initiatives such as Exchanging Places.

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Exchanging Places is an initiative set up by the Cycle Task Force, part of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), and funded by Transport for London (TfL). The event provides opportunities to raise awareness of cycle safety, by allowing cyclists to sit in the driver's seat of a HGV or bus to better understand what a driver can and cannot see.

Further information on Exchanging Places, as well as general bicycle safety and bicycle security marking, can be found by visiting the MPS web site www.met.police.uk/transport/cycle_marking.html, along with the TfL web site www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14799.aspx.

Thursday 10th October 2011 

Published: Fri 11 Nov 2011Modified: Fri 11 Nov 2011

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