I write with reference to the tragic events of 6 February, after a female cyclist was killed in a collision with a Clarkes Coaches coach in Whitechapel.
The event sent a cold shudder through me, as I am sure it did all other coach operators working in London. I do not want to make any judgments on what happened, and none of us can begin to imagine the heartbreak the family of the victim is going through. However, I feel that this will not be the last fatality on the roads in London, regardless of how many cycle highways are built.
Looking at the internet, it came as no surprise to me to find countless remarks from many cyclists claiming that all of Clarkes drivers are poor, and of course one cyclist has footage of a Clarkes coach jumping a red light on Embankment.
It is a sad and unfortunate fact that there will continue to be collisions between cyclists and coaches/cars/lorries. Human beings drive all of these modes of transport, and human beings make mistakes. Not every collision is the fault of the vehicle driver, and not every collision is the fault of the cyclist. But it seems every collision ends up being blamed on the vehicle driver and not the cyclist.
On one occasion, I deliberately took my time turning right at some lights to protect a cyclist who was jumping the red light on my inside, as the rear swing of the coach could have hit him. Unbelievably, the police pulled me over to reprimand me and I could not even be bothered to explain what had happened.
My point is that many more cyclists would be killed if it were not for professional people in our industry who do things like I did to protect the cyclist who jumped the red light.
I do not think any of us should be playing the ‘blame game’. I have sent a reminder to all my staff that we must always remain calm and never drive aggressively.
It is tragic that anyone should die on the roads of London, but where there are vehicles and bicycles being operated by humans there is no way to avoid tragedy. There is no law against vehicles or bicycles using the roads, so it is the responsibility of each adult human being to decide whether they want to risk their lives.
Greg White,
Director,
Whites Coaches,
St Albans,
Hertfordshire
