I’m an avid urban cyclist, and I’ve posted on some of the safety challenges that Paris cyclists face and what they and the authorities are doing to meet them.

To end 2009 on an upbeat note, this post notes approvingly an effort to boost awareness and safety.

When you consider recent cycling fatalities in Paris, you find that death often follows a collision between a cycle and a truck. These are likely candidates for genuine accidents, where neither cyclist or truck driver is at fault. What happens? The cyclist enters a trucker’s blind spot and literally becomes invisible before a turn or lane change.

Cyclists’ awareness have been increased with decals on Vélib rental bicycles that inform cyclists of the problem in general and illustrate how it can occur.

The picture with this post shows another aspect of the safety campaign. In the photo, a Paris city garbage truck has a “blind spot danger” sticker that points out the danger for bicycles and motorcycles.

I applaud the initiative. It’s a real-time warning for cyclist, and a reminder for drivers (every time they get into their vehicle) and truck crews (whenever they move around the vehicle).