Almost two years ago Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, confirmed that he was seeking government approval for a cycling initiative involving the use of so-called Trixi Mirrors. The system, a simple and inexpensive convex mirror solution, mounted at lorry-cab height on posts (most suitably traffic lights) at junction would reduce driver blind-spots and thus help to eliminate, or at least reduce, the disproportionate number of cyclist deaths on the Capital’s roads. A year later, in July 2010, Transport for London (TfL) announced that “The first cycle safety Trixi Mirror to be trialled in a UK city has been installed on a traffic signal at a junction in Tooting, south London.” The press release went on to confirm that a further 37 would be installed along London’s “Barclays Cycle Superhighways”.
Despite this, and indeed the hugely successful use of “Trixi” Mirrors in both Germany and Switzerland where deaths have been demonstrably reduced, the Capital still sports a mere 39 sites where they are employed, many of which are now in poor repair. TfL and the Mayor’s Office have, it has been reported, gone rather quiet on the subject and cyclists continue to be killed in numbers – a great percentage by left-turning lorries. The Guardian’s Paul Dean, a fervent supporter of the Trixi, has set up the “Petition for Paula” (named after 20-year-old student Paula Jurek who was tragically killed by a lorry on April 5, 2011) – Cyclo invites you to add your name to it at the link below.
http://www.gopetition.com
Almost two years ago Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, confirmed that he was seeking government approval for a cycling initiative involving the use of so-called Trixi Mirrors. The system, a simple and inexpensive convex mirror solution, mounted at lorry-cab height on posts (most suitably traffic lights) at junction would reduce driver blind-spots and thus help to eliminate, or at least reduce, the disproportionate number of cyclist deaths on the Capital’s roads. A year later, in July 2010, Transport for London (TfL) announced that “The first cycle safety Trixi Mirror to be trialled in a UK city has been installed on a traffic signal at a junction in Tooting, south London.” The press release went on to confirm that a further 37 would be installed along London’s “Barclays Cycle Superhighways”.
Despite this, and indeed the hugely successful use of “Trixi” Mirrors in both Germany and Switzerland where deaths have been demonstrably reduced, the Capital still sports a mere 39 sites where they are employed, many of which are now in poor repair. TfL and the Mayor’s Office have, it has been reported, gone rather quiet on the subject and cyclists continue to be killed in numbers – a great percentage by left-turning lorries. The Guardian’s Paul Dean, a fervent supporter of the Trixi, has set up the “Petition for Paula” (named after 20-year-old student Paula Jurek who was tragically killed by a lorry on April 5, 2011) – Cyclo invites you to add your name to it at the link below.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/boris-install-mirrors-that-save-cyclists-lives-petiti.html
Across the Divide tell us that there are still places left on their Euro Cities Cycle 2011; a fantastic five day jaunt that takes riders through three of Europe’s most vibrant cities – London, Amsterdam and Brussels (with Breda thrown in for good measure en-route). The course covers around 300miles in the saddle; the majority of which is on minor roads and country lanes with full support from ATD guides, medical and logistics staff.
