To post this for road users unaware of upcoming highway code changes

[FluffyBooBoo]

That's loads of info available online, but the AA have done a study that shows that two thirds of people are unaware of the charges.

Photo attached with basic info.

@firsttimedad79

It's all a load of tosh.

We already protect pedestrians with such things as crossings!

Cyclists should be banned from the road as they're a nuisance. I drive a 44t lorry and am fed up of following 2 cyclists for miles because they won't use common sense and pull in to let us past. We aren't like cars who can nip round a cyclist, we need a long distance to overtake!

Rant over!

I agree about cyclists on country roads. I'm usually driving a 32t mixer or sometimes a 44 ton volumetric, and the former is often down country lanes in Worcs/Warks/etc. So common to get stuck looking at a lycra clad arse for ten minutes with 20 cars stuck behind you.

And the cars often don't see the cyclist in front and try and do risky overtakes, which is dangerous for the cyclist who they only see when nipping back in at the last minute.

@EightWheelGirl no matter how much we love the planet blanket rules aren’t going to solve the issue of road design.
Where I live there’s rarely an issue but lots of cycle lanes. In fact the biggest issue comes from cyclists cutting onto pavements , mowing down pedestrians because they don’t want to wait with the cars (in roads where there aren’t any lanes) or approaching pedestrians at speed on narrow paths. You don’t really get roads where cyclists ‘hold up’ traffic as there’s enough space.

On country lanes it’s a different matter and while people think that evil polluting cars should stay out of the way for poor cyclists (excuse the drama ) how else is anyone supposed to get anywhere? Also large vehicles like lorries etc only so much you can do and these have large warnings of blind spots etc. These are transporting our stuff

On country lanes it’s a different matter and while people think that evil polluting cars should stay out of the way for poor cyclists (excuse the drama ) how else is anyone supposed to get anywhere? Also large vehicles like lorries etc only so much you can do and these have large warnings of blind spots etc. These are transporting our stuff.

If only everybody took as reasonable a view as you.

I'm regularly told by people in small towns/villages that "we don't like these big construction trucks thundering round our village." My response is usually "your neighbours probably said the same thing when your house was being built."

I remember when I was growing up residents were protesting the new estate in our town. 15 years later the residents of said estate are now protesting the next newbuild houses. It's an ever continuing cycle.

It's going to be carnage where I live. Most drivers struggle with staying left and recognising basic signage.

To round out my point there was recently a complaint about a pedestrian being in the road ..... On a local road with no pavement.

We already protect pedestrians with such things as crossings!

Not everywhere, by any means.

Sure, if there's a crossing in view it's generally daft of a pedestrian not to use it.

But where I live, there aren't any for literally miles in any direction. There are pavements, schools and bus stops - lots of reason for people to be on foot and needing to cross roads. It's mostly fine, apart from occasional bad drivers.

@EightWheelGirl similar area to me. I'm on walking floors so get to some farms.

Was in Derbyshire near hope valley on Wednesday where I spent 12 minutes at 8mph behind a line of 7 cyclists. It was hell!

@EightWheelGirl

On country lanes it’s a different matter and while people think that evil polluting cars should stay out of the way for poor cyclists (excuse the drama ) how else is anyone supposed to get anywhere? Also large vehicles like lorries etc only so much you can do and these have large warnings of blind spots etc. These are transporting our stuff.

If only everybody took as reasonable a view as you.

I'm regularly told by people in small towns/villages that "we don't like these big construction trucks thundering round our village." My response is usually "your neighbours probably said the same thing when your house was being built."

I remember when I was growing up residents were protesting the new estate in our town. 15 years later the residents of said estate are now protesting the next newbuild houses. It's an ever continuing cycle.

I’ve been objecting to the thousands of new build houses here not on principle but because there is zero improvement in infrastructure. Persimmon is nearing completion of a 270 house new estate near us. Before house 150 was occupied they were supposed to fund and commission junction improvements. They accepted the conditions at the time - now they are seeking to have them removed. None of the new estates has adequate parking and the provisions for walking and cycling are pathetic. I tried to ask for another one to at least have a pavement as far the nearest shared cycle lane and bus stop (on a busy road) but no-one listens.

I disagree with this very much. The onus should be on the pedestrian to wait and cross safely and not walk out unsafely into the flow of traffic. If pedestrians have the legal right to just walk out and the car has to stop then they will do that. It also puts the blame on a driver who hits a pedestrian who just walked out in front of the car.

I'd be surprised if most drivers have looked at the HWC since passing their tests. I'm always amazed at the outdated things that colleagues believe about driving rules.
This rule is already in place in loads of European countries. Does no one here ever drive abroad? It works seemlessly. I just got back from Denmark and was just reminded about how great it is.

@Alayalaya

I disagree with this very much. The onus should be on the pedestrian to wait and cross safely and not walk out unsafely into the flow of traffic. If pedestrians have the legal right to just walk out and the car has to stop then they will do that. It also puts the blame on a driver who hits a pedestrian who just walked out in front of the car.

Go and read the new rules. This is not what they say.

What they say is that if I am walking along a road and want to cross over the mouth of a side road, I have priority over a car wanting to turn into that road. That is actually already the case, but is much ignored.

The pavement is treated as a continuation of the road. Which it should be.

The new rules do not suggest that I can just launch myself into the middle of the road in front of a car and the car has to stop for me (although of course the driver should endeavour not to kill people doing stupid things!)

@EightWheelGirl

And the cars often don't see the cyclist in front and try and do risky overtakes, which is dangerous for the cyclist who they only see when nipping back in at the last minute.

That is the fault of the impatient drivers, not the cyclists who are entitled to use the roads.

However if I was cycling along and had a HGV behind me, I would definitely move over and let the HGV past. I take the view that when I am out cycling, I am out for a leisure ride, and the person in the car, van or HGV may be driving for work - or doing a duty visit to elderly relatives etc and have more right to be on the road than I do in that context (different if I am also commuting, though I'd still get out of the way of a lorry. But the MAMILs don't agree, naturally.

@firsttimedad79

It's all a load of tosh.

We already protect pedestrians with such things as crossings!

Cyclists should be banned from the road as they're a nuisance. I drive a 44t lorry and am fed up of following 2 cyclists for miles because they won't use common sense and pull in to let us past. We aren't like cars who can nip round a cyclist, we need a long distance to overtake!

Rant over!

I'm fed up of following 44t lorries for miles because they are slow and never pull over.

You should be banned from the roads I pay my road tax blah blah fucking blah.

I saw this earlier. I can't quite get my head round it.

It's only dangerous if you're driving too fast and not paying proper attention.

This. What would you do if you came around the corner and came across somebody already half way across the road, or an accident ahead of you, or an obstruction in the road? Whatever you would do in that situation, do that.

If you are the type of driver who sails round blind bends way too fast, assuming the road will always be clear, then yes you may have problems with this change. Otherwise, if you are a safe observant driver, I’m not really seeing what will change for you.

@SirChenjins

*Close passing is illegal, so yes the police will and do pursue this. Again lovely victim blaming. The cyclist is putting themselves in a position to actively stop close passing, so the car driver must try and get past anyway*

I very much doubt that close passing of pedestrians by cyclists or of cyclists by drivers is something that the police routinely waste resources pursuing. Of course, my post didn’t victim blame at all, you chose to interpret it that way. Here - have a little back.

That just goes to show your ignorance, Police forces up and down the land often have a 2m safe pass campaign. Also more and more cyclists have a helmet or rear facing camera, Garmin make dual light and camera devices, link to your phone, live store to the 'cloud. Police then will take close pass footage and prosecute drivers, many of whom end up getting bans.

I 've uploaded footage which saw a lorry driver get 6 penalty points and large fine.

They do this because fatalities cost the authorities huge amounts of money.

Yes, they have campaigns and yes drivers are occasionally prosecuted - but how many close passes (of cars/cyclists and cyclists/pedestrians) are reported and how many are actually prosecuted?

Non-drivers didn't ask drivers to take over the country with their vehicles

Unless you only eat food you've grown in your garden, don't buy any supplies for your garden, don't own any furniture you didn't build, are completely off grid etc etc etc it's pretty stupid to suggest that non-drivers have no responsibility or interest in vehicular traffic and are somehow above it. Even if you personally don't drive, just by virtue of being a modern human existing in modern society you are the cause of much driving in order to facilitate your life.

@SirChenjins

Yes, they have campaigns and yes drivers are occasionally prosecuted - but how many close passes (of cars/cyclists and cyclists/pedestrians) are reported and how many are actually prosecuted?

Like many other crimes, I'm sure it's nowhere near as many as there should be. I really don't see how that has an impact of cyclists riding defensively to avoid being close-passed? It's fucking terrifying when a car / van / whatever speeds past you so fast that you can feel the breeze because it's inched away from you. Cars are supposed to give cyclists as much space as they give other vehicles - at least 1.5m. When a road doesn't allow that, the cyclist should take the primary position.

@BewareTheRedNosedDragon

Non-drivers didn't ask drivers to take over the country with their vehicles

Unless you only eat food you've grown in your garden, don't buy any supplies for your garden, don't own any furniture you didn't build, are completely off grid etc etc etc it's pretty stupid to suggest that non-drivers have no responsibility or interest in vehicular traffic and are somehow above it. Even if you personally don't drive, just by virtue of being a modern human existing in modern society you are the cause of much driving in order to facilitate your life.

I completely get that people need to get to work, make deliveries etc but most people on Sunday morning are not doing either. Yet quite a few will overtake on blind bends, into corners, even with oncoming traffic coming the over way.

I try to stick to quieter lanes and will always pull over if a lorry is behind (so as its safe to do) & stop and let a car get by if the road narrows etc, it makes no difference to my ride and it saves them trying crazy maneuvers that might kill me.

..and you know what? makes my ride more enjoyable as almost all drivers acknowledge that i made the effort.

But despite that, you still get the odd lunatic and thats why i and most riders i know use a camera.

Devon & Cornwall Police have a dedicated website to upload footage.

I also completely accept that some cyclists make zero effort to pull over even when presented with a bloody great layby, they then give us all a bad name.

Hopefully these HC changes will make drivers and cyclists be a bit more sane around each other.

@SirChenjins

Yes, they have campaigns and yes drivers are occasionally prosecuted - but how many close passes (of cars/cyclists and cyclists/pedestrians) are reported and how many are actually prosecuted?

Probably about the same proportion of prosecutions of burglaries and sexual assaults - naff all.

@Lockheart

It is kind of scary how many people don't know what is already in the code.

Presumably you all took a driving test at some point which involved theory?!

I passed my test almost 26 years ago just before the theory test was introduced & they reduced the vehicles you could drive on a regular licence.

My theory consisted of the examiner asking me what the sequence of the traffic lights were & showing me 3 road signs that I had to tell him what they were, they were give way, national speed limit applies & two way traffic ahead.

My actual test lasted 20mins.

DD passed recently & I was appalled to find they're now advised not to slow down on the approach to a roundabout/junction.

My honest opinion is they've made the test too theoretical when driving is very much a practical skill.

If they want cyclists to be more visible better to make them wear something high vis then have them cycle in the middle of the road and move in and out when fast things come up behind them.

@Tal45

If they want cyclists to be more visible better to make them wear something high vis then have them cycle in the middle of the road and move in and out when fast things come up behind them.

Ever crossed your mind that maybe these "fast things" should slow down a little or do you also pass cyclists at 60, a foot from their elbow?

Rarely do i see a cyclist without a fucking great bright flashing red light or are you too busy on your phone to notice?

Cyclists are people, might be a good idea to remember that.