Petition "To introduce a permanent, minimum passing distance

[steve50]

Many of us will have received this email reply to the petition ,
Government responded to the petition you signed




You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition.



Dear S ########

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “To introduce a permanent, minimum passing distance when overtaking cyclists.”.

Government responded:

This Government currently does not have plans to legislate on a set minimum space e.g. 1 metre on roads with a speed limit of up to 30mph when overtaking a cyclist.

This type of legislation would be extremely difficult to enforce and the Government does not believe that it would add to the existing rules and guidance, including those set out in the Highway Code, which advises drivers to give cyclists “at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car”. W…
Click this link to view the response online:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128190?reveal_response=yes

The Petitions Committee will take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence. If this petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the Committee will consider it for a debate.

The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: https://petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

 

[derrick]

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128190

 

[ianrauk]

Already HERE

 

[martint235]

I have but I'm a pessimist that works in Govt. If it did pass, they'd set the distance at 20cm

 

[foot_loose]

No.

 

[ianrauk]

btw also a no.

for the simple fact is that what the petition is proposing is completely unworkable.

 

[Vantage]

As above, unworkable. Most road traffic laws are routinely broken already, this would be on that list too.

 

[ianrauk]

This, as some Sates in the US have. And it works quite well

 

[bozmandb9]

I was wondering why so few signatures. It appears too many cyclists worry too much about practicalities of implementation, rather than highlighting the issue, which seems to be the main point of legislation nowadays.

So the government will conclude there's no problem with motorists passing cyclists too close. Hey ho.

 

[lazybloke]

I signed it.
Seems a good idea to me. Yes I absolutely agree there's little chance of 'preventative enforcement'. But if a car does hit a bike, then (almost) by default it can be said that the cyclists' space has been illegally encroached upon, and that's one more step towards a successful prosecution.
Is that just wishful thinking?

 

[EnPassant]

This, as some Sates in the US have. And it works quite well

I rather like that. But does it mean that they may not use the full lane where such signs do not exist? Or might it be argued as such whether true or not? That would bother me.

 

[classic33]

Wexford County Council, Following on from Mayo's lead

 

[Vantage]

I was wondering why so few signatures. It appears too many cyclists worry too much about practicalities of implementation, rather than highlighting the issue, which seems to be the main point of legislation nowadays.

So the government will conclude there's no problem with motorists passing cyclists too close. Hey ho.

Too many petitions I think. There's loads out there all trying for individual goals on road safety. All with a few signatures.
If there was maybe one petition that enclosed all concerns with lots of signatures then we might get somewhere. We can thank the tinterweb and multiple bike forums for that.

 

[Crandoggler]

Absolutely not.

 

[jamma]

Signed and had email back saying this:

This Government currently does not have plans to legislate on a set minimum space e.g. 1 metre on roads with a speed limit of up to 30mph when overtaking a cyclist.

This type of legislation would be extremely difficult to enforce and the Government does not believe that it would add to the existing rules and guidance, including those set out in the Highway Code, which advises drivers to give cyclists “at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car”.

We are keeping this position under review, and are interested in learning from the experience of places where legislation of this type has been introduced. One example is South Australia, where since 25th October 2015, drivers are required to give a minimum of one metre when passing a cyclist where the speed limit is 60km/h (37.3mph) or less or 1.5 metres where the speed limit is over 60km/h (40mph). The penalty for drivers caught disobeying this rule is a $287 (£148) fine, plus a $60 (£31) victim of crime levy and 2 demerit (penalty) points. However, it will take time to understand the benefits and impacts of this legislation on cyclists and other road users.

Department for Transport