Highway Code One Year On

[presta]

APPG Cycling group here reviewing the highway code changes after the first year. There's an amusing story about a lad who went for his Bikeability training, then when he got home and told them what he'd been taught about Primary Position his dad went ballistic and spent the next hour ranting on the phone to Bikeability.

The behavioural scientist from the TRL was interesting, he warned to expect it to take about 20-30 years for the benefits to filter through.

More here in road.cc.

 

[raleighnut]

I wonder how many drivers even know about the changes, mandatory retests maybe?

 

[Slick]

Human behaviour is the strangest thing, I'm guilty of it myself (obviously) but I am aware of how stubborn or fixed Inn my view at times. I am however, still a sponge so education is the answer for me. In this case, I think the message needs to be escalated before the masses will start to understand it.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Just shows how entitled as a driver his dad feels.

 

[fossyant]

I wonder how many drivers even know about the changes, mandatory retests maybe?

Very few.

 

[All uphill]

The takeaway message of the press coverage is:

Something Something Something bicycle Something Something Something.

 

[I like Skol]

A few months ago I had a young female driver beeping and shouting at me from her window, complaining that I was riding 'in the middle of the road' and when I stopped at the lights she threatened to run me over and actually started creeping forward towards me and only stopped about 2" from my back wheel when she realised I wasn't about to be bullied out of the way.
I pointed out that I had been consistently on the bumper of the car in front for the last 1/4 mile but this was apparently irrelevant!?!?

It isn't (entirely) the highway codes fault. There are generations of people now who have been brought up believing only they matter and they can take/do what they want.

 

[fossyant]

Manchester seems to have got itself a new self righteous Tweeter/video biker. He's got himself really upset by the responses from other cyclists about one of his latest videos as we're all "horrible" - he can't take constructive criticism.

He's on his bike, in the cycle lane, but in front of him are 3 cars. Car one signalling left, car two going straight on, and car 3, the one in front of him, signalling left. There are a number of seconds where he could have slowed, but he barges up the inside on his cargo bike. The driver hadn't seen him, so cyclist then has to slam on. If he'd have slowed, he could have carried on his merry way without coming to a stop, and a potential accident.

Now the new law does say cars turning left should allow the cyclist behind to undertake apparently. Said poster got a bit upset when everyone suggested he could see the car was going to turn, so in the interests of not crashing, he should have slowed - common sense eh. Oh no, driver should have followed the new rules. It's not going to happen. TBH, if that had been me, I'd have slowed, and then moved to the middle and overtook as the car turned.

There are problem drivers, and problem cyclists.

 

[Ian H]

It's a mistake to imagine that all drivers are arrogant, entitled, aggressive road-users. It's also a mistake to think that all cyclists are angels. I'd guess that an individual's attitude remains the same whether they're cycling or driving.

Nevertheless, if you're piloting a tonne or two of metal along the road, you have much greater responsibility of care to others. That's made explicit in the Highway Code, but it should be commonsense.

 

[mjr]

The driver hadn't seen him, so cyclist then has to slam on. If he'd have slowed, he could have carried on his merry way without coming to a stop, and a potential accident.

Now the new law does say cars turning left should allow the cyclist behind to undertake apparently. Said poster got a bit upset when everyone suggested he could see the car was going to turn, so in the interests of not crashing, he should have slowed - common sense eh. Oh no, driver should have followed the new rules. It's not going to happen. TBH, if that had been me, I'd have slowed, and then moved to the middle and overtook as the car turned.

There are problem drivers, and problem cyclists.

Why is the answer from some of you always for the cyclist to slow even more? If drivers cannot be trusted to turn left correctly, they shouldn't be allowed to, except at traffic lights.

Not a new law, either. The highway code changes merely clarified some points of law that bad drivers had hijacked over the last few decades.

Seriously, maybe the cyclist should have slowed more, but when can we stop having to delay our journeys by assuming that the licensed, tested drivers are generally incompetent, dangerous and going to commit offences that endanger other road users?

 

[Alex321]

Manchester seems to have got itself a new self righteous Tweeter/video biker. He's got himself really upset by the responses from other cyclists about one of his latest videos as we're all "horrible" - he can't take constructive criticism.

He's on his bike, in the cycle lane, but in front of him are 3 cars. Car one signalling left, car two going straight on, and car 3, the one in front of him, signalling left. There are a number of seconds where he could have slowed, but he barges up the inside on his cargo bike. The driver hadn't seen him, so cyclist then has to slam on. If he'd have slowed, he could have carried on his merry way without coming to a stop, and a potential accident.

Now the new law does say cars turning left should allow the cyclist behind to undertake apparently. Said poster got a bit upset when everyone suggested he could see the car was going to turn, so in the interests of not crashing, he should have slowed - common sense eh. Oh no, driver should have followed the new rules. It's not going to happen. TBH, if that had been me, I'd have slowed, and then moved to the middle and overtook as the car turned.

There are problem drivers, and problem cyclists.

There is no "new law". There is new guidance, which on this point is mainly clarification and rewording of previous guidance.

But I agree that if there is a car ahead of you indicating left, then you should not try to overtake it on the left, any more than you would overtake on the right if a car was indicating right.

 

[Alex321]

Why is the answer from some of you always for the cyclist to slow even more? If drivers cannot be trusted to turn left correctly, they shouldn't be allowed to, except at traffic lights.

Not a new law, either. The highway code changes merely clarified some points of law that bad drivers had hijacked over the last few decades.

Seriously, maybe the cyclist should have slowed more, but when can we stop having to delay our journeys by assuming that the licensed, tested drivers are generally incompetent, dangerous and going to commit offences that endanger other road users?

There was no indication here that anybody but the cyclist was doing anything wrong. If a vehicle in front of you is indicating, then you just don't overtake them on the side they are indicating towards. Which is what appears tio have happened here, from the description.

That is not the same as some numpty coming past you then thinking the fact they were indicating gives them the right to turn across you (the classic "left-hook").

 

[fossyant]

There was no indication here that anybody but the cyclist was doing anything wrong. If a vehicle in front of you is indicating, then you just don't overtake them on the side they are indicating towards. Which is what appears tio have happened here, from the description.

That is not the same as some numpty coming past you then thinking the fact they were indicating gives them the right to turn across you (the classic "left-hook").

Law or not, there is bad cycling and bad driving.

If slowing means you don't get killed, I'm all for it. Just because you have right of way etc.

 

[T4tomo]

I agree that if there is a car ahead of you indicating left, then you should not try to overtake it on the left, any more than you would overtake on the right if a car was indicating right.

indeed.

I often used to cringe when riding thru London and see cyclist inching forwards up the left of a traffic queue and then sit in the blind spot of an HGV who could be turning left. Lack of basic awareness.

and a different issue that got on wick, mopeds/ m/cycles who would filter up the right hand side of two lanes, arrive at the ASL box full of cyclists (and obviously the odd taxi / white van) and then expect to turn left.

 

[Juan Kog]

I agree with @fossyant . When I’m cycling I will at times give way / yield to other road users , some times this will be curtesy other times self preservation . I do the same when driving my car .
No I’m not a timid gutter hugger I can be assertive on my bike , but sometimes it’s just not worth it .