London lorry designed for cycle safety

Cyclists … love them, or hate them – they are road users in their own right. One of the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) most recognisable supermarket chains, Sainsbury’s, has shown that it is fully aware of this – launching a truck designed specifically for the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.

The vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz Antos 1824L – which was unveiled by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson – features 360^o monitors, extra side lighting for road users at night and low side guards for cyclist safety.

James Colbourne, head of strategic accounts – Trucks, Mercedes-Benz UK, says: “Working in partnership with Sainsbury’s has been an extremely positive and educational experience. In building these vehicles Sainsbury’s has invested heavily in the safety of both cyclists and pedestrians and has built what can only be described as a fleet of some of the safest vehicles on the road.”

Roger Burnley, Sainsbury’s retail and operations director, adds: “This is an important step in our work to make London’s roads safer. We’ve put an enormous amount of thought and research into creating a truck that we hope will be the safest on the road – for all road users.”

The safety features include new video technology in the cab giving the driver 360° vision of the surrounding road. New proximity sensors, down the sides of the lorry, beep to alert the driver to other road users and side-guard extensions and reflective infills help prevent cyclists from falling under the vehicle.

There are also more down lights along the sides of the vehicle that glow at night, giving the driver more visibility of road users in the dark. A warning sticker alerts road users that they are in the driver’s blind spot, and a tail-lift operation warning provides an audible sound when the tail lift is being lowered to alert those who are behind the vehicle. Further driver training will also be provided on the higher safety standards in the truck.