The Council has been sent this sticker to consider. It will be discussed at next CycleForum.
What do you think of it?
Should SCC recommend this to lorry fleet operators in Sheffield?
It’s come from a consultant who is working on the Construction LOgistics and Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) project for Transport for London.
The design has now been endorsed by the London Cycle Campaign, CTC and Roadpeace and they are currently working with IOSH (Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) to get their endorsement too.
Myself I think it is OK and if LCC and CTC have endorsed it then I’ll go with that.
Pedal Ready have said:
Hi Folks
I asked LCC and CTC why they endorsed the design of the cycle sticker that has now reached Sheffield for its consideration.
They are below.
The criteria for their evaluation seem to be clarity, legibility, legality and responsibility.
The hope seems to be for one sign used by all.
Mick
==============================
Hi Mick,
The standard Transport for London sign which we worked on several years ago has a bike logo and says: “Cyclists Beware of passing vehicle on left side”. That is thought to be to ‘text heavy’ by many people. The “Stay Back” message came from the TfL marketing people as being something clear and which could be read and understood in a fraction of a second.
The sticker design you have was the winner in a national competition to find a strong graphic to upgrade the text only version. There is a whole raft of other stickers out there that give the wrong message, they suggest that it is always wrong or prohibited to pass on the left while in fact passing on the left is lawful if the lorry is stopped or very slow moving. It is of course very unsafe if there is any chance of the lorry turning left while a cyclist is beside it.
With all these stickers there is a risk that the drivers will think that a cyclist on the left is unlawful therefore they feel justified in not looking out and taking more care. We, CTC and RoadPeace have endorsed the current design because it gives a clear warning without implying a legal prohibition. It is really important to include messaging for drivers that cyclists will be on their left side and it is always their responsibility to watch out for them.
Regards,
Charlie
Charlie Lloyd
From: Roger Geffen <roger.geffen@ctc.org.uk>
Date: 26 July 2013 15:15
Subject: RE: Cyclist Safety Sticker for HGVs
To: Mick Nott <mick.nott@googlemail.com>
Mick
Thanks for your message.
CTC and London Cycling Campaign backed this sign, partly as you say to avoid a proliferation of lorry-back cyclist warning signs, and partly because it does a very neat job of avoiding the pitfalls of some of the badly-designed signs that some individual lorry operators had started using.
· It uses easily understood imagery – i.e. the iconography of internationally understood road signs – rather than words. That means it can be understood quickly and easily, including by cyclists who aren’t native English speakers.
· It gets its message across clearly but without being scary.
· Moreover, being 2-dimensional, it isn’t clear whether the cyclist is being silly or actually staying back – i.e. it’s a genuine warning without being judgemental (unlike this TfL poster, which LCC and CTC object to strongly – http://lcc.org.uk/articles/
Hope this helps.
Roger Geffen
Campaigns & Policy Director
CTC, the national cycling charity
Tel: 01483 238322
Switchboard: 0844 736 8450
Fax: 0844 736 8454
CTC National Office
Parklands
Railton Road
Guildford
GU2 9JX
