Changes to the highway code.

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Chippy_Tea

Chippy_Tea

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I can see this causing more accident where people who are unaware of the new rules carry on driving like they always have, why didn't they just leave it as it was.


Highway code gets updated shortly.
Roads users hierarchy is now as follows:

1. Pedestrians

2. Cyclists

3. Horse riders

4. Motorcyclists

5. Cars/taxis

6. Vans/minibuses

7. HGV's.

Takes effect Saturday. Also, new rules allow cyclists to take their own initiative. They can cycle in the middle of the road if it feels safer, and two abreast if they like, and there is no obligation to use a cycle lane either.
 
The no obligation to use a cycle lane I find an odd one. They did the exact opposite here where I live and while initially it was a bit annoying, I'd much rather be in a bike lane away from traffic.
 
Sadly there are several cycling death every year on our roads. Cycle paths are supposed to make cycling safer and making there use optional seems to be a step in the wrong direction.
It seems to me that the long term impact of this could discourage cycling through increased risk.
 
There is a guy on 5 live now as I type this saying he has lost 4 friends in the last 10 years the latest was on a long straight road in broad daylight.
 
Cyclist, biker, walker, car and motorhome driver here
I hope the new rules make cycling safer and more enjoyable. Somewhat concerned that the changes may not have been fully briefed to all using the roads and it may initially cause more agro, and unfortunately more deaths and injuries to the most vulnerable road users. But long term hopefully it will reset priorities, people will have to get used to the fact that a metal box is not a panacea to think you can do what you like behind the wheel.
 
Chippy_Tea said:
Takes effect Saturday. Also, new rules allow cyclists to take their own initiative. They can cycle in the middle of the road if it feels safer, and two abreast if they like, and there is no obligation to use a cycle lane either.
Click to expand...

Sorry Chippy_Tea but as a cyclist I have to pull you up on this comment as these rules have always been in place.

Riding in the middle of the road is all about safety, it's not something any cyclist should do all the time but it is useful for situations where you need some space. For example, I will ride in the middle of the road on the approach to a junction to prevent cars from overtaking me whilst in the midst of a turn.

Cycle lanes are unfortunately often not fit for purpose, if they are then I'll happily use them but most of them are shared with pedestrians (which it's not particularly safe to ride around at speeds of 15-20mph), are not wide enough, are littered with debris and require you to give way at junctions every few hundred metres. In these cases, riding on the road is simply the better option.

Riding two abreast generally makes it easier for cars to overtake a group of cyclists; if there is a group of 10 riders then them being 5 sets of 2 makes it a much shorter distance than them all being strung out in a line. That being said, if I'm riding as a group of 2 then we'll always 'single out' if there is a car behind us.

I agree with your concerns about people not being aware of the changes and carrying on as normal though. Nobody ever really reads the Highway Code, people just learn the bits they need to pass their theory test and then forget about it. Unless they introduce some sort of mandatory refresher training for new rules then I will continue to be nervous of vehicle's around me doing something I'm not expecting.
 
Stu's Brews said:
Sorry Chippy_Tea but as a cyclist I have to pull you up on this comment as these rules have always been in place.
Click to expand...

It wasn't me that posted it so feel free to voice your views.

I am a truck driver and consider myself a courteous one i always give cyclists, walkers and horse riders plenty of room and always have, like in all walks of life there are bad truck drivers, car drivers, horse riders cyclists and pedestrians unfortunately truck drivers get a bad rap if these cyclists ever got into a HGV and saw how poor visibility can be they would maybe not be so quick to judge us.
 
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Chippy_Tea said:
It wasn't me that posted it so feel free to voice your views.

I am a truck driver and consider myself a courteous one i always give cyclists, walkers and horse riders plenty of room and always have, like in all walks of life there are bad truck drivers, car drivers, horse riders cyclists and pedestrians unfortunately truck drivers get a bad rap if these cyclists ever got into a HGV and saw how poor visibility can be they would maybe not be so quick to judge us.
Click to expand...

Completely agree that we all need to consider everyone else's perspective. I work for a company that manufactures commercial vehicles so am quite fortunate that I get a bit of an understanding of both sides of the story.

I often find trucks aren't an issue when I'm cycling, provided I don't put position myself where they can't see me. But that is on me to be sensible about what I'm doing. Unfortunately not all cyclists have quite the same level of self preservation.

Only ever had one scary moment due to a truck passing me too close. It's pretty much a daily occurrence with cars and vans.
 
Chippy_Tea said:
It wasn't me that posted it so feel free to voice your views.

I am a truck driver and consider myself a courteous one i always give cyclists, walkers and horse riders plenty of room and always have, like in all walks of life there are bad truck drivers, car drivers, horse riders cyclists and pedestrians unfortunately truck drivers get a bad rap if these cyclists ever got into a HGV and saw how poor visibility can be they would maybe not be so quick to judge us.
Click to expand...

I think it's fair to say that as much as you get some dodgy hgv drivers the majority are considered. The same goes for car drivers and cyclists.

I cycle for pleasure and commuting and I get just as frustrated by other cyclists flouting the rules.. jumping lights, filtering up the inside etc.

I understand that the rationale behind the hierarchy in the update to the highway code is that those that can effectively cause the most harm bear the greatest responsibility. This all being said, I am not sure how confident I will be going right at a busy roundabout in the left hand lane, not will I be confident in walking across a junction and anticipate cars or cyclists stopping for me!
 
So you are going down the road in your car and intend to turn left into a side road someone is standing at the edge of the kerb talking on their phone oblivious to you being there so you stop to allow them to cross they carry on talking and you are now holding traffic up on the main road up, what do you do?
 
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Ours is a half-hearted effort to accommodate bicycle riders; there's far too much interaction between cars and bikes for the bike riders to be properly safe. Bikes need a dedicated system of roads.
I would never consider riding a bike on major roads here as is done all the time.
Horses are a regular means of transportation there? That's cool.
 
I think part of the difficulty is that we have developed a culture that sees roads being a priority right of way for cars and anything else on the road has less of a priority.. like someone walking or on a bike isn't also trying to get somewhere quickly and the fact that they are moving slower or cannot move as fast as a car or hgv means they are an inconvenience. You hear all the the rhetoric of cyclist holding up traffic.. I read an interesting and amusing comparison to passengers on a bus being forced to travel at 3 miles an hour because of all the cars causing congestion.. I guess it's all matter of perspective... And safety!
 
Wurp said:
I think part of the difficulty is that we have developed a culture that sees roads being a priority right of way for cars and anything else on the road has less of a priority.. like someone walking or on a bike isn't also trying to get somewhere quickly and the fact that they are moving slower or cannot move as fast as a car or hgv means they are an inconvenience. You hear all the the rhetoric of cyclist holding up traffic.. I read an interesting and amusing comparison to passengers on a bus being forced to travel at 3 miles an hour because of all the cars causing congestion.. I guess it's all matter of perspective... And safety!
Click to expand...

I hear/see things like; 'roads are for cars!' on a regular basis, which completely ignores the fact that roads were around for hundreds of years before the car was invented...

If we invested in proper infrastructure (not half-hearted, painted lines a couple of feet from the kerb) then a lot of the problem would be resolved. Most cyclists don't want to cycle on busy roads where they have to mix with other traffic but end up having very little choice.

Don't get me started on how people completely fail to understand the logic that if they are sat alone in a multi-seat car whilst stuck in traffic then they are part of the problem...
 
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