Students and local residents in Southall offered chance to see things from a truck driver's point of view

16 Sep 2015

• Community safety event held by National Grid at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College
• Visitors offered new perspective on road safety with chance to sit in an HGV cab
• Event staffed by volunteers from National Grid team who are working to prepare Southall Gas Holder site for redevelopment

Students and local residents gained a new perspective on road safety by sitting in the cab of a lorry.

National Grid hosted a special event to promote cycle and pedestrian safety at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, which is next to the soon to be redeveloped Southall Gas Holder site.

Over 120 students and locals attended the event, held earlier this month, with some taking the opportunity to view the world from the cab of a lorry and the visibility challenges this poses.

Nadia Dew, Land Regeneration Manager from National Grid said: "We decided to run the event after some residents asked us about the large vehicles which are visiting our former gasworks while we're preparing it for redevelopment.

"Our contractor Coleman & Co provided one of the MAN trucks being used at the site which meant we could give visitors a driver's eye view of things and explain how people can stay safe."

She added: "We're pleased so many people came along and hope that they left reassured that safety at our site is taken very seriously."

Advice for pedestrians when crossing roads and cyclists:

• Don't listen to music or use your mobile
• Show your intentions to others around you
• Make eye contact with drivers to let them know you have seen them
• When cycling indicate left and right turns using your arms to signal your direction
• Never cross the road directly in front or behind of an HGV
• Think carefully before filtering along the nearside of HGVs at traffic lights as this is the most dangerous position for cyclists

HGV vehicle movements to and from the site in The Straight, have been restricted to between 9:30am and 3pm to reduce the impact on commuters and local residents.

National Grid's work to prepare the former gasworks for redevelopment will include removing the disused large gasholders. Changes in technology mean that the gasholders are no longer needed for gas storage so they can be removed enabling the land to be freed up for exciting redevelopment opportunities.

For more information on the work call 0800 319 6186 (Between 9am and 5.30pm on weekdays), email [email protected], write to National Grid Southall, RTLA-GHRX-SSXA, Local Dialogue, 77a Tradescant Road, London, SW8 1XJ or visit http://www.southallgasholders.com/