After all of the debate on here recently about trucks, and whether insisting cyclists take care around trucks is 'victim blaming' or not, I've been paying close attention to how I act around trucks.
This morning I was given three very different scenarios:
one
Bin lorry on East Claremont Street. He was stopped, the arm just coming down to pick up one of the communal bins. The road was virtually entirely blocked, just 2 feet or so clear down the opposite side to the bin arm. I could have squeezed by (he was stationary after all, and would be for a little while yet).
I got off and walked past on the pavement. No worries getting back on and into the road because he was blocking any motorised traffic (and the bin was juuuust reaching the top as I remounted.
two
Charlotte Square. BIIIIIIG truck in the right hand lane, I'm about a third up from his backside. Traffic ahead turning right was slightly blocking his lane. Me in left hand lane, and motorbike a smidge behind me but to my right. Traffic moving reasonably slowly, lane in front of me clear.
I could slow so that I'm no longer alongside him. Instead I watch, intently, for any movement in the front wheels, any deviation from the straight on course, knowing that should there be a sudden movement I've got quite a lot of road to escape in (including the opening to George Street).
As it happens the truck driver is excellent and simply stays within his lane and waits for it to clear.
three
Just turned right into Fountainbridge off Lothian Road. Bin Lorry is outside Farmfoods and, before I appear, has started to pull out. They're slow. I could nip round his front to the ASL for Semple Street, but I'm not sure exactly which way he's going (he does have his indicator on by the way). I also realise that having started to pull out, the angle he is now at there's not a chance I'm in his mirrors (I'm almost at 90 degrees to him, but not quite, so he can't see me out of the window either).
I pull up, wait for him to cross the lane, then carry on to the ASL.
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So in two cases I eschewed the ability to get past the lorry in favour of what I saw as pragmatic safety; and in the remaining example I'd assessed escape routes and so on before proceeding. In all cases the lorries had the additional mirrors mounted (I really have been thinking about this a lot!), but all the same will have blindspots that we all know are there (and would like dealt with).
I still think that prudence is the right, and safe, way forward. In tandem we should try pushing for safer lorries on our streets (there's no reason we can't advocate prudence by cyclists, truckers, truck companies and the government all at the same time!).
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