should they bring in rules and laws for cyclists? (please read before shooting me down)

[mjr]

When i was a fair bit younger we had to do a bike proficiency test, to see if we could ride safely on the roads.

No, you didn't. You only had to ride within the law. The bad old Cycling Proficiency Test (after "get in the gutter" lessons) was just something that schools and others could offer if they wanted. It was never a requirement.

Try taking a Bikeability course and they will probably teach you about the laws that already apply to cyclists, as well as some useful tactics for British roads.

 

[Alex321]

The law changed on the 25th March this year. It is now an offence to be holding any device capable of sending or receiving data whilst in charge of a motor vehicle.

No it isn't.

It is an offence to USE it while handheld - not just to hold it.

Where "using" means any of:

• illuminating the screen
• checking the time
• checking notifications
• unlocking the device
• making, receiving, or rejecting a telephone or internet based call
• sending, receiving or uploading oral or written content
• sending, receiving or uploading a photo or video
• utilising camera, video, or sound recording
• drafting any text
• accessing any stored data such as documents, books, audio files, photos, videos, films, playlists, notes or messages
• accessing an app
• accessing the internet

And it is also "driving" (plus supervising a learner) rather than being "in charge of".

 

[Alex321]

How's that going to work? In winter it gets dark here in Central Scotland much earlier that it does down in the Deep South in places like London. Likewise on the north coast of Scotland it's dark even earlier than it is here. Some days you will need your lights on all day at other times they're not need so much. It's impossible to have a set time for lighting up, it has to be up to individuals exercising their own judgment. I know some people don't do this; they simply ignore the rules that are in place already, so how are more rules going to improve things?

The law is ALREADY there, and doesn't need a set time. It is between sunset and sunrise, whatever times those are.

 

[vickster]

I find it hard to believe someone actually put such tosh on here. If I were them I would delete and then sit down with the Highway code.

Indeed, this the bloke who thinks privately owned e-scooters used to be legal on public roads and paths for some reason…reviewing the HC, possibly the picture version, would seem a good idea

 

[andy0001]

i'll respond, yes, i did ride an Escooter for a while, i did this when they were very new to the uk and at the time of buying and using i didn't check to see if it was legal, it was a 16mph one and over 4 years ago, i do not use it now.
the reason behind my post is that (no, i didn't sit down and read the highway code on rules) people ride unsafe and the roads are dangerous, i get the sarcastic (ooh look at me i made a funny) responses, some did get a like from me(as they were actually funny), my original post was literally pointing out that no one seems to give a shoot about being safe anymore, came round a corner two nights ago to miss a guy coming the wrong way down a one way road into with headphones on. no lights etc.

yes i used the word helmets too, somehow some of them learned to type. 😄

 

[Vantage]

4 pages of correcting posts on a less than well thought out post. It's like the cyclinguk forum almost.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

the reason behind my post is that (no, i didn't sit down and read the highway code on rules) people ride unsafe and the roads are dangerous, i get the sarcastic (ooh look at me i made a funny) responses, some did get a like from me(as they were actually funny), my original post was literally pointing out that no one seems to give a shoot about being safe anymore, came round a corner two nights ago to miss a guy coming the wrong way down a one way road into with headphones on. no lights etc.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/sentence-structure/

Happy to help.

 

[matticus]

so, what say you?

There is a reason your "suggestions" are being shot down.

 

[chris667]

OK. Here's the problem with laws around cyclists.

First - THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH POLICE

The ones that already exist aren't enforced, because the police don't have the resources. There is a kid near me who rides an electric motorbike. It is as at least as fast as a 125. I nearly killed him pulling out of my parking space - he was driving at 40mph the wrong way up a one way street on the pavement. Did a bunny hop and swore at me.

He rides with his mates. They wear hoodies and have black bandanas over their faces because they're bad boys.

The police have done nothing about him. What makes you think they'll do anything about people riding without helmets.

Second - IT PUTS THE BLAME FOR ACCIDENTS AT THE FOOT OF THE CYCLIST

If someone runs into a cyclist who isn't wearing a helmet, it can still be their fault. Making it somehow the fault of the cyclist for not wearing a helmet is unfair.

Incidentally, I saw the same kid pushing said bike up the massive hill to our house in the rain the other day. I was walking past him with my dog. I said hello, and he looked really embarrassed. Very gratifying.

 

[andy0001]

There is a reason your "suggestions" are being shot down.

Fair point, i thought and some people did respond with descent weighed out responses, thinking that a debate between grown ups could occur.
other responses were not, they were more, Petty, 'ooh i can do grammar' or even like/point scoring for no reason, so it wasn't really 4 pages of 'correcting posts' as such.
thanks to posters like Chris667 for making debate/chat a grown up place.

 

[Alex321]

the reason behind my post is that (no, i didn't sit down and read the highway code on rules) people ride unsafe and the roads are dangerous, i get the sarcastic (ooh look at me i made a funny) responses, some did get a like from me(as they were actually funny), my original post was literally pointing out that no one seems to give a shoot about being safe anymore, came round a corner two nights ago to miss a guy coming the wrong way down a one way road into with headphones on. no lights etc.

yes i used the word helmets too, somehow some of them learned to type. 😄

You should have had a look at the existing rules before making proposals for "new" ones.

You suggested four rules, the most important of which (lights) is already in place (though not well enforced). And two others (helmets and headphones) only endanger the cyclist themselves if not followed.

I wear a helmet, almost certainly always will, and strongly recommend everybody should. But I would still be strongly against making them mandatory for adults, and not totally convinced they should be for children.

I'm a bit more ambivalent about the headphones, but I tend towards the view that if people want to ride with impaired hearing, that is their choice.

As for the bike proficiency test - you never had to do it. Some schools would not let you cycle to school unless you had done. Introducing a mandatory one now would only discourage people from taking up cycling. And how would you police that anyhow - unlike the other three, there is no visible indication you have taken such a test.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You keep banging on about headphones but you have not said once that it caused a fellow cyclist to collide with you. Surely if this was a dangerous thing to do, we’d hear about a disproportional number of head phone wearing cyclists being involved in accidents. Maybe I’ve missed the numerous accident investigation reports mentioning headphones and you can point me towards them with a link?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Fair point, i thought and some people did respond with descent weighed out responses, thinking that a debate between grown ups could occur.
other responses were not, they were more, Petty, 'ooh i can do grammar' or even like/point scoring for no reason, so it wasn't really 4 pages of 'correcting posts' as such.
thanks to posters like Chris667 for making debate/chat a grown up place.

You wrote it as clickbait. Responses were far more thought through than the original and infinitely more than it deserved.

 

[winjim]

i'll respond, yes, i did ride an Escooter for a while, i did this when they were very new to the uk and at the time of buying and using i didn't check to see if it was legal, it was a 16mph one and over 4 years ago, i do not use it now.
the reason behind my post is that (no, i didn't sit down and read the highway code on rules) people ride unsafe and the roads are dangerous, i get the sarcastic (ooh look at me i made a funny) responses, some did get a like from me(as they were actually funny), my original post was literally pointing out that no one seems to give a shoot about being safe anymore, came round a corner two nights ago to miss a guy coming the wrong way down a one way road into with headphones on. no lights etc.

yes i used the word helmets too, somehow some of them learned to type. 😄

I think everyone's just finding it a bit baffling that you're suggesting introducing laws which already exist. You're already not supposed to ride your bike the wrong way down a one way street at night without lights. But if you're not going to read the highway code and find out what the rules (and guidance) are, then how can you expect other road users to?

 

[tom73]

Just on the training point have you taken 5 minutes to what even the legal requirement for some sort of cycle training would cost ?
1st setting up a government agency or extra dept within a current one. Then add in Staffing , training and general running costs.
A system to record compliance and cyclist details which like any government IT will be years late , have it's spec changed every 5 mins so end's up hardly working how it should and be massively over budget. At some point I guess a cyclist will need to prove they passed the test via a sort of licence ?
It would be a massive bottomless pit of money and civil service time even governments agree its a waste of money and impractical.
God knows how much the end user would need to pay if it ever made it past the the mine field.

The biggest real issue is transport planning , lack of safe active travel and public transport options. lack of guts to do what we all know has to happen, bringing under control car use and 4 wheel 1st approach to any transport issue.