Pedal cyclist seath sentence

Rule 163 "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car"

15/5/2018

For me as a pedal cyclist Rule 163 "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car" is as good as a death sentence. Many drivers pass with just enough clearance for their wing mirrors. I get run off the road 3 or four times a week the police do not seem to care either.

Bag57pipe

13 Comments

Porkington

29/1/2019 08:59:22

Well then get a car instead

Eric Beard

3/4/2019 18:44:39

Having a car does not negate how close traffic passes me when I'm cycling, a healthy and non polluting means of transport.

Will

4/6/2022 11:06:28

Unfortunately, most of the public travel by car (unhealthy and polluting using your words) and you're just one out of the minority.

I suggest you travel by car if you wish to reduce the risk of losing your life on the road.

BEEFINGTON

19/3/2021 03:57:27

Aren't you a troll? Trolls should wallop instead.

Jay driver

6/10/2019 13:17:03

Cycling on a main road adjacent to a bike lane
Cycling two or sometimes three abreast on busy A&B roads
Undertaking in slow moving traffic
Weaving in and around slow moving traffic
Sitting and cycling in the blind spot of large goods vehicles

Adam

21/2/2020 13:01:47

Cycling in a cycle lane isn't mandatory, they are often unswept and full of debris that's a hazard to cycle on or cause punctures. As a car driver you don't use the dirty edge of the roads that cover your car in stone chips. So neither do cyclists.

Let's not forget when it's rainy and they're painted in slippery paint.

Cycling 3 a breast minimises the length of the cycling group. Preventing hasty close overtaking in favour of passing when there's a more suitable gap.

Cyclists are vulnerable road users and people just like those in cars. They deserve respect and space. They're doing their part to reduce vehicle congestion and pollution.

PS, I'm a lorry driver, a car driver, motorcyclist and a cyclist. The road is for everyone.

BIG CHUNGUS

19/3/2021 04:03:11

Well said! Wish more people were like Adam here.

Steve Waters

14/5/2021 13:24:21

You're right; the road is for everyone.
The introduction to the Highway Code makes that clear.
I'm just about to write a letter to my local paper addressing a thread started by an openly anti-cyclist driver with a letter titled "give us back our roads" as if they belong only to cars. Spurred on by the front page story of an experienced cyclist being badly injured in a hit-and-run. We must learn peaceful co-existence.

Peter Lythgoe

29/7/2021 12:35:06

Great response. A lot of motorists get angry because cyclists frequently make more progress in traffic. I personally was subjected to road rage on an empty road at 5:30 in the morning when the driver deliberately tried to knock me off my bike.

Logic

2/1/2021 02:00:12

Cars are much wider than cycles so if a car is overtaking a cyclist and leaving ENOUGH space as if they are overtaking a car, there should be no reason for a cyclist to get run off the road....

I do agree however, car drivers do not always overtake with the same amount of space given for cyclists as they do with other cars.

the UK's roads are woefully narrow...

Atomic Shrimp link

1/1/2022 11:09:22

I wonder if the wording is unclear here: 'give cyclists as much room as you would when overtaking a car' could mean two very different things:
1. Ensure that the clearance between your car and the cyclist is equal to the clearance you would allow for a car, when overtaking.
2. Assume, when overtaking a cyclist, that the cyclist is occupying an imaginary box of road space, which is the size of a car, and overtake that box (so in practice, pull as far right when overtaking, as you would if there was a car there)

I'm fairly sure that 2 is the intent of the rule

Richard Broughton

29/1/2022 12:08:05

The HC code has a helpful picture to accompany Rule 163 - it clearly shows that the the intention of the rule is as you describe in point 2.

Dew Drop

26/2/2023 10:37:49

The Highway code is quite explicit for speeds up to 30 mph the minimum clearance is 1.5 metres, which is a little less than the average car width of about 1.8 metres. Above 30 mph the clearance is required to be greater, so there is no ambiguity or lack of clarity.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Rule 163 "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car"

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