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Our condolences and sympathy to the family of Louise Butler on her death in such a horrible way while simply going about her daily commute to Monkstown.
We understand that a semi-trailer HGV making a delivery to Superquinn in Blackrock impacted with her on her bike.
These rigs have extensive blind-zones (not ‘spots’ as they are erroneously called) around the cab so the driver’s view is markedly impaired both in close to the front of the cab and sectors of the sides.
The manufacturers of these vehicles know about this design flaw but the vehicles are intended to be used for inter-urban transport on motorways and not suburban roads subject to traffic congestion and the presence of cyclists making their way on the kerb-side of roads in cycle lanes marked and signed in that location by roads authorities. In Irish road traffic law cyclists are required to travel by the kerb-side of any carriageway.
In Ireland we abolished rail transport of practically all of our goods so most are shifted by truck.
In the rush to cut costs, logistics operators have dispensed with a helper in the cab (co-pilot) who would be able to act as the second pair of eyes to keep a lookout on the near-side of the vehicle and report to the driver if say a cyclist was coming up in the cycle lane to the junction.
This policy of permitting such rigs to operate unfettered in suburban areas without a permit system in place and a co-pilot has to change. Dublin City has shown the way here by requiring 5-axle and larger rigs to have a permit to operate in the inner-core area of the City during normal working hours. We have to ask why Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council does not have a HGV policy in place with a similar permit system?
Councillors, why not?
Dr. Mike McKillen
Chairman of Cyclist.ie
Mike,
Thanks for your article in response to the tragic death of Louise Butler. It helps to fill in the puzzle of how the accident could have been avoided. The lack of bike lanes on that stretch of road is also a concern. It would seem to me there is more than enough parking for both shopping centres and that better bike lines could be given priority.
Let’s hope this tragedy at least makes the road safer from now on.