On Tuesday 12th July, Ringway Jacobs supported an Exchanging Places event held by the Cycling Task Force from the Metropolitan Police at Gordon Square by providing an HGV that is retro fitted with technology designed to improve awareness for drivers and cyclists. The Exchanging Places events are designed to help cyclists understand how to cycle more safely around HGV’s by giving them an opportunity to sit inside a vehicle and see the extent of the drivers’ visibility. This is accompanied by an explanation of the risks of cycling too close to HGV’s, especially whilst in front or on the near side.

The programme also provides training for drivers, and as such on the 26th July Ringway Jacobs hosted a training session by the North East London Traffic Management Unit at Harling House. 24 HGV drivers were in attendance, including those from Ringway Jacobs and from strategic SCP’s Eurovia Surfacing, Gavigan Paving, Euromark and Meeres. Thames London and Formoss drivers were also in attendance.

With the number of cyclists increasing in London year on year, this is an important piece of work, and with 10 cyclists dying on roads in 2010 it is vital to use any chance to help raise awareness of cyclist safety. All Ringway Jacobs’ HGVs, including the one provided for the Exchanging Places event, are now fitted with sidebars, side sensors and cameras intended to increase the drivers’ awareness of cyclists on the near side. There is also an audible warning to warn cyclists when the HGV is indicating left as well as signage to raise awareness of the dangers of being too close to the vehicle. These innovations were welcomed by the Police officers in attendance, who noted how key the measures are to reducing the chances of an accident and the severity of injuries. The technology is being fitted to HGV’s operated by strategic SCP’s, who in turn are ensuring that their SCP’s are implementing these measures. Eurovia Roadstone won a CIHT Technological Application Award for their use of these technologies which require relatively low investment but deliver a huge increase in road safety.

As well as taking part in the ‘Exchanging Places’ project, Ringway Jacobs are also contributing to the production of a study and guide for those designing and installing traffic management to ensure that cyclists are not disproportionally affected by them. The ‘Cyclists at Roadworks’ document is being produced in collaboration with Amey, Aecom, Enterprise Mouchel and TfL and is currently being trialled at various sites on the network. It considers cyclist behaviour, signage, speed limits, signal timings, barriers and lane widths amongst other factors to ensure that cyclists are considered equally in a balanced approach to all road users when works are planned.

Ringway Jacobs and strategic SCP HGV drivers will be receiving further training on the 15th August during a day-long bespoke session. This is being written and delivered in collaboration with Havering College and will look at behavioural aspects of driving including cyclist safety and company policy as well as attitudes towards other road users and fuel efficiency.This all demonstrates how seriously Ringway Jacobs is about road safety and shows the commitment to ensuring that improvements are made across the network.