New Highway Code Rules
Good to see changes making it safer for all users about to come into force! Particularly for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.👍
Comments
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Yes fully agree there.
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Why dont theb cyclists use the pathways made for them instead of riding on the roads,particularly in the narrow country roads like here. We have what we call "The golden Road" after the vast sum spent on it but you neverb see a cyclist using it.
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I suspect “narrow country roads” don’t provide an alternative, but I agree there are quite a few cyclists who, for whatever reason, ignore perfectly good cycle routes in favour of busy roads. There’s a 7 mile trail near me which forms part of National Cycling Route 3. Some cyclists habitually take the parallel road instead, sometimes 3 abreast via an uphill section of a busy B road with no pavement and lots of bends with a long trail of vehicles in their wake. I guess you can build as many cycle ways as you like, but idiots persist whatever.
The Pembrokeshire Golden Road looks to be more suited to walkers than cyclists? I really don’t like sharing walking trails with cyclists.
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I think you mean some cyclists rather than all of them? I certainly don't use roads if I can avoid them but I believe from cycle literature that there is no legal ruling that cyclists must use cycle paths even when next to a road.
As said by SB you do then have to share a path with walkers but as my average speed is so low that I'm happy with this, however the road cyclist who are in training and/or to beat or improve their times will want to use roads.
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Those road user who act irresponsibly be they dangerous drivers, dangerous cyclists or dangerous pedestrians are all equally reprehensible and reckless. However, these new laws are more about protecting those who are prepared to act responsibly towards other road and path users. Those that act otherwise deserve the sanctions that become them. It may be a little controversial but these sanctions may need increasing in severity in order to make our roads safer.
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The actions described above do little for the cyclists cause and there are insufficient traffic officers to deal with such blatant disregard for other road users. Personally, the further I can get from a ton and a half of flying metal when on my bike the better.
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Some dedicated cycle paths have to be used to be believed. Overgrown weeds and hedging, broken glass, the Autumn nightmare when thrashing of hawthorn leaves thorns in their thousands, flooding, cars parked across them, wheelie bins left across them, street furniture in the middle of them! I am going to photograph some of ours and send them onto Chris Boardman and shame our local council into putting a bit more effort in. I hate being on the roads with cars, buses and trucks, but sometimes it’s actually the only option☹️ Same for horse riders as well. They need more protection. I personally know of half a dozen riders killed on our local roads.
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Yes, also with any altercation with another vehicle the sad fact is a cyclist is bound to come off worse, however these new laws do give us some extra protection and if they make one or more drivers more aware and give a wider berth then all to the god.
As to your first point there are quite a few youtube videos showing where a rider's cam footage alone has led to penalty points being given.
Some cyclists appear to have front, rear, and helmet cams, far too much trouble to get them all charged and mounted for me, just easier to avoid where possible all roads.
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I don't disagree with the changes in general but there are some concerns. For example, we live on a small road off the main route to the local school. If I went out at school time I could be waiting forever as the school kids amble along. If I let one group cross, by the time they had reached the other side of the road there would be another gaggle starting to cross. Surely there has to be a degree of give and take? But then again we are talking school kids many of whom have no road sense whatsoever and have always just walked across a road oblivious to traffic.
I've not read the revised code yet but what happens if I'm at a wide T junction with a pedestrian wanting to cross from my right. Do I have to wait? I guess so but as per what I said above, by the time they had crossed the road another person may be starting to cross. How long to do sit there with a string of traffic up my back?
I'm also assuming that if the junction has traffic lights with pedestrian lights then the pedestrian has to wait for his / her green light.
I had an instance today where I got to a junction and there was a lady standing on the pavement but almost as far from the pavement edge as she could get. I assumed, wrongly as it turned out, that she was perhaps waiting for someone. Wrong! As soon as I had turned the corner she marched across the road behind me. If pedestrians want to cross they should make their intentions clear. Standing back suggest to me that they are happy for me to proceed.
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With regard to pedestrian crossings it is car etiquette in some European countries for the driver to briefly indicate left while slowing up in order to let the pedestrians know that they have been noted and the driver is giving way. Even witnessed this on roads with no pedestrian crossing. Good give and take I suppose.
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My local area is blessed with ‘partial’ cycle/pedestrian lanes. I am a leisure cyclist and certainly not a slim, enthusiastic cyclist out to complete a 70 mile ride. I try to use these aforementioned cycle lanes for some much needed exercise but frequently find myself having to sound my bell to overtake a parent or two pushing their strollers, a couple of elderly pedestrians out for a well deserved walk or perhaps a handful of teenagers merrily joking with each other as they walk. I live with all of these but on too many occasions I receive abuse for daring to ride my bike on a pavement…. despite the fact there are numerous surface markings or sign posts indicating it is a dual use lane. On sun-soaked days when pedestrians are plentiful, I have gone onto the road only to receive similar abuse from disgruntled motorists. We just can’t win!!!
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From what i have read, most is just common sense and courtesy
It is clear on how to pass, on both speeds and distance, and the hierarchy of responsibility is well over due0 -
OH has just kitted himself out with front and rear cameras Corners. Money well spent, and gives me a bit more piece of mind. The quality of the footage is very good, far better than I expected. He’s been badly knocked off his bike twice, serious enough to have to be checked out at hospital. Not GoPro, something to last longer, a good two- three hour ride. A company in Australia does a nice looking helmet with built in front and rear cameras, but we had no reply about sizing. Mind it was the first lockdown, so we ought really to have followed it up. The behaviour of a small minority of our local drivers is a huge concern at the moment, what few Police we seem to have are targeting known race track roads. We were overtaken in Jeep by someone who decided to drive on wrong side of road in a 30 zone last week. All on Jeep’s camera☹️
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Yes and sorry to hear that, I can't watch these youtube videos that show cam footage with collisions on, makes me not want to go back out!
Actually I'm just looking at lights that have rear 'radar' that connect to my Garmin cycle computer and warns of traffic behind, I always have lights on even in broad daylight especially the low usage flashing kind.
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I have mixed feelings with some of the changes. On the news today it showed an example of a cyclist wanting to go straight on at a x roads when the car to his left was indicating right!! Why was the cyclist not behind the car or on the nearside?
It will be interesting when on my local dog walks to see if motorists give way when I need to cross over T junctions on country lanes.
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You are right to be concerned, the decision to allow cyclists right of way to overertake or undertake a vehicle indicating and waiting to turn at a junction is bordering on insane. It will cause chaos in city centres with traffic backing up whilst cars and buses have to wait for all the cyclists to pass before making the turn. Imagine indicating to turn right in a vehicle not only do you have to keep your eyes on your mirror for cyclists overtaking while you are indicating when a gap in the traffic appears you then have to look for cyclists with their new rights ignoring any form of common sense undertaking and overtaking on the approach to a junction on the other side a then of course there is the likelyhood that you might have to stop halfway accross for a pedestrian crossing the road you are entering.
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Ttda and CS, I was returning home the other day in the car and noticed a cyclist coming the other way carrying what looked like his fishing rod on his back which had an overhang of about 2 feet above his head. On closer inspection, as I waited for him to pass, it turned out to be a camera. I've seen helmet and bike mounted ones but never anything like this. A bit distracting if I'm honest but then that was probably a good thing as he was more noticeable.
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Like others I am a “leisure cyclist” but due to the nature of our local roads, unlit, muddy, blind bends and with a 60MPH limit, I prefer to cycle off road.
Despite this I always wear hi-viz and have lights front and rear.
Yesterday at app 1730, on an unlit 60 limit road, I came across what appeared to be three cyclists, none of whom had any hi-viz and only two had lights, with the outermost having neither.
I could see it was clear so moved across to the opposite side and passed-to find another cyclist, again with no hi-viz or rear light, app 10-15 yds ahead.
So, as far as common sense and courtesy go this bunch seemed have neither.
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How many cars are painted in Hi Vis
The hierarchy is correct
Maybe the reason i have no problem with passing cyclist, and horse is i have always given space as i passed them, and if it meant waiting ,then i have waited
I know that if i hit a pedestrian,a cyclist or a horse with my vehicle ,it is them that will come worse off. so i have always done what the new Code requires
If a cyclist is in the position they show in the Highway code. and you have not seem them, then you should not been driving a vehicle
As a pedestrian a number of times i have had word with drivers, who did not know,or said they did not , that a pedestrian had right of way at a junction. if the pedestrian was crossing before the car go to the junction,I have always given way , no big decal
it is time that cars where put in there place, and responsibility place on the driver of vehicles for the safety of those more vulnerable1 -
I would have thought that in this heirarchy it would be incumbent on those at greatest risk to take the greatest care about their own safety.
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And that's been the problem
That;s like saying the person with a toy gun ,should take more care, then a person with a real gun1 -
Of all the changes this to me is the most controversial and most commonsensical! What I don't understand is the use of language-‘should give way’ as opposed to ‘must give way’! What does that mean to the hard of understanding like me?
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When used in the Highway Code, 'must' means it’s law while 'should' is not law but can be used as evidence against you in the event of a prosecution.
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You seem to have, by design or accident, read into my post things that are not there.
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See my post with link and screenshot in the other thread, Micky.
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Isn't that the way of Govt documents? Even the latest covid related stuff is contradictory. It's no wonder some of us struggle.
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