Mice Log Star Date 51

20th Feb. Wow! I'm in a Cement Lorry with the Met Police!  14.35 miles, 1.08 Ave, 18.3 max, in 1hr 19. 

If you haven't sat in a lorry-drivers'  seat you are missing out!  The first thing I noticed on my way up was the door - it's enormous!  

Two hands needed to heave myself into the cabin, I climbed in sat at the  wheel.

Bizarrely I found myself rising - the seat automatically does this when you sit on it!  Everything is huge - the steering wheel is wider than a broadsheet. For some reason the keys had been removed from the ignition!! So with the jokes over I started to concentrate.

 

The bobby moved his bicycle in front of the lorry and placed it where I could see it.  

           This is how far away from the lorry the bicycle was to the lorry. 

He then went to the back of the lorry and walked to the front with his bicycle so I could see how many times he disappeared out of my vision using the mirrors on the left.  

At least three times.

This particular lorry has a third mirror which has been legislation for lorries since 2007 which picked him up where the other mirrors didnt, but there were still moments when I couldn't see him. 

There one millisecond then he was gone again. 

He apparently was just at the front past the passenger door but in order to see him I had to stand up in the middle of the cab and put my nose against the windscreen (which is definitely not something lorry driver will be doing as he would be not in control of his vehicle).     

And that's aside from the fact that normally the lorry would be moving at speed and the driver will be looking in front of him and to the right and rear, not just on his inside.

If you can see the driver in his mirror the chances are he can see you. But that's what it is - a chance.  

                                          The distance is nearly bigger than an ASL box.  

There are blind spots where they simply cannot see what is immediately next to them.  Overtaking on the outside or stay well back, but never on the left side. If you haven't seen this  The Lorry and the Bicycle before, it's really worth a look.  

Another thing I learned is that the Met Police also have a website for reporting bad driving

A big thanks to The Met Police for their Exchanging Places opportunity.

 

With my morning flying by so fast and full of information I was nearly late for lunch so whizzed down to Chiswick via the cycle path.  I use those last two words loosely.  Hammersmith & Fulham you need help with your cycling paths.

As for the stretch along the A4 to the Hogarth Roundabout - that is awful.  On the way home I had to cycle on the A4 for about 50 yards which I wouldnt recommend to anybody - ever.

Lunch with friends was fab and included Heston Blumenthal's much advertised Baked Alaska.

Not quite as I remember from My Learn to Cook Book but that didn't stop me having three slices. (ooops!)

There is a bit of bicycle restoration taking place which I thought might be of interest to a couple of peeps.

I bolted back to London for a meeting in SW1 and was finally home, via the pub, at 11.30.  Cycling into Sloane Square made me shiver with delight - and cold - as I couldnt understand why I was doing this without at least 50 others.  The group rides I take part in are a bit more than five miles (well, a lot actually!) but are the most amazing things I have ever done. I looked up at the moon and smiled.