Safety conscious cyclists and mountain bikers have been made more aware of the difficulties of truck drivers on the roads.
Anyone was able to hop in the driver's seat of a truck provided by Rotorua Forestry Haulage and get a feel for how a truck driver sees the road at the Sport Bay of Plenty Truck and Cyclist Demo at the BMX Club last night.
Cycling Advocates Network project manager Richard Barter said cyclists and drivers needed to understand how the other saw the road. "It's about getting cyclists aware of the limitations in the view of the driver. I've been riding for 40 years and I started doing this six or eight months ago and it changed the way I looked at the road altogether. Cyclists and drivers can get together and understand each other's worlds, so they are talking strategically about black spots in the area," he said.
Rotorua Forest Haulage driver trainer Jonathan Stewart said truck drivers often had to act to stop accidents occurring.
"A truck driver has to always be ready to take evasive action. One of the hardest things is cars and cyclists driving up the left-hand side, assuming they are seen but they are not.
