I am writing to voice concern over a recent incident as I was riding my bicycle to work on King George Blvd. Near the intersection on 20th, as I was driving northbound in the designated bike shoulder, a dump truck passed me then immediately came into the bike lane, forcing me off the road. I was screaming and laid on my air horn. He did not stop - he allowed a second dump truck to pass, then moved back into the motorized lane and continued to his job site at about 26th and King George.
I caught up with the drivers there, and went onto the job site. I complained immediately to the staff on site, pointed to the truck, and explained what had happened. They identified themselves as being employed by B and B Contracting. They said they would “can him”, but I saw no serious action taken by the site staff.
Upon arriving at work, I immediately sent an email complaining of the incident to B and B. The office was closed on the weekend. I telephoned on Monday at noon when I did not receive a response. I was told they did not sift through emails quickly. I asked that action be taken regarding the incident and that I be informed when appropriate action had been taken. The Safety Officer informed me that the site staff did not seem to recall the degree of upset I tried to convey to them, as they did not recall which truck was involved, even though one went and stood briefly at the cab of the truck, possibly to suggest that he was talking with the driver I indicated was the problem. Further contact with B and B Contracting indicated that the driver was a sub-sub-sub contractor of B and B, and therefore, B and B had no direct control over the safety concern introduced by this driver.
When I did not receive appropriate follow-up. I called WorkSafe to submit a complaint. They told me it was a police incident. I called Surrey RCMP, who told me it was too late for them to do anything about it. I have tried to be fair and allow the organization time to handle this in an appropriate manner. However, I have learned that there seem to be few, if any, repercussions for an organization that appears to be acting in a reckless manner. It seems if there is sufficient delay, contractors can avoid serious attention to safety.
I hope that by making the situation public, further incidents will come forward. Greater public safety is required when it comes to how we all use the road.