Exchanging places is an industry initiative to help vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists, see the road from the perspective of a lorry driver.
It’s a valuable experience to understand just what can and cannot be seen when you’re sitting in the cab of a lorry and how many mirrors and cameras a driver is checking continually during the whole of each journey.
Organising an exchanging places event
Organising ‘exchanging places‘ events is a powerful way for CLOCS Champions to demonstrate their commitment to keeping communities around developments safe but there are some important things to consider.
Who are you targeting? Is it the local community or is it more specific such as a school that is in close proximity to the construction site? This will determine the type of set up required with the latter being less intensive.
Agree a date to hold the event, one that is far enough in advance to enable you to get co-sponsors and partners in place, engage with any prospective audience and organise all that is needed to deliver an effective event.
Consider who wants to be involved and who needs to be involved.
- The minimum requirement is for a suitable lorry and an experienced driver.
- Engaging the client is a psoitive move as they are likely to want to be involved as these provide excellent PR opportunities for all involved
- For larger events, you could also involve the police for their obvious expertise as well as their ability to provide advice on general security and theft prevention
- You could also invite along a cycle support organisation that can provide vehicle maintenance and general advice, and if the police can’t offer it, anti-theft marking.
It is also a good idea to engage with someone to provide incentives to encourage people to get involved (see below).
Find a suitable location that will enable you to set out your vehicle for the exchanging places and get the owner’s approval.
- Choose an area that is heavily utilised by pedestrians and cyclists to get as big an audience as possible.
- You can include a mat to show where the blind spots are in the front and to the side of the vehicle.
- You may also need space to provide for those who are supporting the event such as an area for a small gazebo or to set up trestle tables to use.
This doesn’t need to be an expensive process but it is important to let people know that it is happening in that location at that particular date and time. You should also put signage out on the route on the day to encourage everyone using the route to stop and get involved.
Whilst these are not always required it is a good idea to have some ‘bait’ with which to hook your targets. These can be as simple as providing hi-vis slap wraps to free bike lights, to free hot drinks and snacks. The provision of free security marking and free bike servicing is also a great idea if you can get it.
A crucial piece of the jigsaw as without them you will struggle to manage and coordinate those that come to the event. They can also stand by the roadside to encourage people to stop and drop by. Enthusiam is key!
