Met receives 'Exchanging Places' truck
The new truck will be used for the cycle safety programme - Exchanging Places, which addresses the most common cause of serious injury and death to cyclists - collisions involving a heavy goods vehicle (HGV). The programme gives cyclists the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat of an HGV to see for themselves how difficult it can be to see a cyclist riding close to the truck. Experienced traffic police officers explain how this type of collision often happens, and talk through several ways of avoiding them.
Thanks to the generous support of Mercedes-Benz and the continued funding from Transport for London (TfL), the new vehicle costs the MPS nothing except fuel. The Mercedes-Benz Actros vehicle will be used for demonstrating the issues around cyclist and pedestrian safety and meets or exceeds all emissions and safety standards. The truck has been fitted with police livery and blue lights for promotion purposes and is only driven by trained police drivers and will not be used for patrols or enforcement.
More than 15,000 cyclists have taken part in the programme since 2007, run by the Cycle Safety Team - part of the MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC). Due to the phenomenal and growing success of the programme, there was a need for a dedicated vehicle in addition to the vehicles donated to the programme from a number of hauliers who support the project. Mercedes-Benz were the winning bidder after manufacturers were invited to bid for the provision of a suitable vehicle on a one-year lease.
Police Sergeant Simon Castle, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: "We are grateful to Mercedes-Benz and Sparshatts of Kent for supplying us with this vehicle, which is perfect for our Exchanging Places programme. The feedback from these events is overwhelmingly positive with 97 per cent of cyclists saying they would change their riding as a result of sitting in the driver’s seat, and 99 per cent would recommend it to a friend.
"I urge cyclists to watch the Exchanging Places film on the MPS Youtube website and also arrange to attend an Exchanging Places event. It is invaluable and a potential life saver."
Andrew Sparshatt, Sparshatts of Kent Dealer Principal, said: “Safety is at the very top of the agenda for the Mercedes-Benz Trucks business here in the UK, so Sparshatts of Kent is delighted to be supporting the Exchanging Places scheme.
“This admirable initiative addresses a major issue for the truck industry, particularly in urban areas – that of cyclist safety. It is an area in which Mercedes-Benz is already doing a lot of work in partnership with the industry, through its Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) programme.
“The Actros looks stunning in its Metropolitan Police livery and will, I feel sure, be an invaluable aid to Sgt Simon Castle and his colleagues in helping them to increase awareness among cyclists of what heavy goods vehicle drivers can – and more importantly cannot – see from their cabs.”
The RTPC is supporting the Mayor and TfL’s Cycle Safety Action Plan and runs regular Exchanging Places events across the capital throughout the year. They also work with the providers of truck driver training to ensure cycle safety is addressed as a priority.
