Peter Parle, head of transport at infrastructure services provider FM Conway, explains how his organisation made its fleet more cycle safe
The huge rise in the popularity of road cycling has been a key driver for fleet safety. According to a 2011 report by the Greater London Authority, the past decade has seen a 70 per cent increase in cycling generally, and a 173 per cent increase in cycling on major roads.
Pressure is mounting on industry because a vastly disproportionate number of these accidents involve Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). Despite making up only four per cent of overall traffic, HGVs were involved in 53 per cent of cyclist deaths on London’s roads between 2008 and 2012. This is a wholly unacceptable statistic and one the industry needs to tackle. The first step is to make sure that effective safety management is in place for any business that operates a fleet of commercial vehicles. There are four key areas where improvements should be made:
1. Implement the latest technology
In April this year, the European parliament voted for new rules which — if approved by national governments — will require all new HGVs to be designed with cycle safety in mind. This is a major and positive step forward for the industry. However, this legislation will take years to make an identifiable impact on our roads.
There are a number of practical improvements that can be made to existing fleets to make them safer.
The legal minimum requirement for operating in London is to have improved mirrors and side guards fitted. All large vehicles should also carry visible warnings for cyclists to stay back.
The biggest cause of serious accidents is when cyclists are caught in the blind spot as HGVs turn left, and there are a range of improvements which can mitigate this risk. An audiable ‘turning left’ warning is one way of making cyclists alert to the danger. We’ve also fitted our HGVs with seven side sensors that detect objects within 0.8 metres and track their location and proximity to the vehicle. We have installed a near-side blind spot camera — which allows the driver to view real-time images of blind spots on the left-hand side of the truck — and a reversing camera to the rear.
Technology is constantly updating and evolving, so it’s important to keep up with new developments and assess the extent to which they can improve safety.
2. Set up robust management systems
In 2013, the Transport Research Laboratory recommended that companies have a management system in place to reduce operational road risk.
In response, we began the process of becoming certified with the ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety Management certification issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI). In January 2014, we became one of the first companies worldwide to receive the award from the BSI.
ISO 39001 allows a company to identify the risks of its interactions with the Road Traffic Network, evaluate improvement opportunities and monitor and measure the improvements realised. It has helped us to improve the safety of our operations, improving consistency and allowing the company to bring all relevant controls and processes into one management system.
We’ve already seen a dramatic improvement having implemented ISO 39001. Our business handled on average 34.5 fleet insurance claims per quarter during 2013. ISO 39001 took effect in January 2014 and since implementation during the first quarter of 2014 there were just 14 claims. This represents a 60 per cent reduction in accidents year-on-year in the first three months of system operation
3. Invest in training
Certain courses are a must for drivers operating on busy roads — the Safer Urban Driving course, for instance, should be undertaken by all commercial drivers. This TfL-sponsored course sees drivers take to the saddle to see the road from a cyclist’s perspective. It also contributes to the Driver Certificate of Professional Compliance (CPC), under which all drivers must undertake 35 hours of training every five year period.
Larger operators should also be proactive about facilitating training for others. We formed a partnership with cyclist training provider Cycle Confident in 2013 to provide up to 1,500 construction HGV drivers a year with safer driving skills. Cycle Confident uses our facilities to deliver accessible driver training across London. It’s open to all construction firms and helps small and medium-sized contractors — who might otherwise struggle to achieve the scale needed to organize their own training — to disseminate safe driving best practice to their workforce.
4. Communicate and share best practice
Fleet safety isn’t just an issue for operators. Roads are shared spaces and it’s equally important that cyclists are properly informed. ‘Exchanging places’ schemes — which are run in various London boroughs in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police — give members of the public the opportunity to sit in the cab of an HGV to observe the driver’s blind spots. We’ve supported 29 of these events since January 2013, and find that they promote empathy and understanding on both sides.
Companies are doing great things to innovate in areas of road safety, and it’s important that they share this knowledge with their customers, suppliers — even their competitors. Entities such as Transport for London’s Construction Logistics Cycle Safety (CLOCS) working group — which includes members such as the Mineral Products Association and construction fleet operators — provide a forum for sharing best practice. It was collaboration such as this that played a key role in bringing about the CLOCS Standard for Construction Logistics: Managing Work-Related Road Risk which came into force in December 2013.
Issues with fleet safety won’t be solved overnight and there is no one quick fix. But progress in the key areas of technology, management, training and communications will see a marked improvement and, ultimately, save lives.
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