London Cyclist’s BEWARE
To all cyclists
If you cycle or are sympathetic the cycling world, please take two
minutes to read this and sign the e-gov petition – which CTC thinks is well worth doing
Your right to ride on the road is in jeopardy. The revised Highway Code says cyclists should “use cycle facilities where possible”. If this Code is approved, cyclists will effectively lose the right to ride on the road where there are alternative routes or adjacent facilities.
The implications of this are too bad to contemplate. First we will
suffer more abuse and intimidating driving, as recently suffered by
a CTC member. Second, if a cyclist is involved in an accident and
tries to claim damages, the insurance companies are likely to argue
that the rider contributed to the accident by not using the cycle
facility.
The Highway Code has been laid before parliament. It will
automatically be approved unless it is referred to a House of
Commons Committee which cannot amend it and can only recommend the whole document be rejected.
It will take an unprecedented amount of adverse publicity to persuade the government to reject the Highway Code in its entirety.
The CTC HQ Campaign team are working hard to find some way of
achieving this and will obviously require national support.Meanwhile
HQ says it will do no harm to support the petition which is at
Roads4Bikes petitions
It is interesting to note that 35 MP’s objected to the original
revised wording. Unfortunately, the replacement wording is no better.
Only 11,000 objections were received to the previous wording. There
are over 50, 000 in the CTC alone who should now be objecting.
If this Highway Code is approved by government cyclists will
effectively lose the right to ride on the road where there are
alternative routes or adjacent facilities.
Please register your name on the petition and persuade others to do
the same.
Sean
Isnt it safer to use the little green road?
why do you need the right to drive on the road if there is a little green one – personally if it is dafer to go on the green road Im going on it before the road anyway….
Little green road? They’re everywhere aren’t they. Sure and never stop suddenly or force you to cross dual carriage ways to continue your way. No way. Its safer actually riding in the road not off it as it forces drivers to see you. The further to the side of our crap roads you place yourself the greater risk you put yourself in.
The point is that you must have the CHOICE of whether to use the cycle facility or the road.
Some people feel the cycle path is more comfortable. Others don’t. Both must be free to ride in the way that is safest for them.
Some cycle paths are inarguably poorly implemented and dangerous.
Sean’s insurance point is most salient. They will make any excuse to avoid paying, as I know first hand. We can’t hand it to them on a platter when cyclists are maimed and killed by cars.
Very nice blog!
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Could be very nice if I could find an interesting person like you to make
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why MUST you have the choice??
cars dont, people dont.
Cyclists use the road, the green road AND the pavement.
I dont know how many times I’ve had to jump into the walls of shephards bush underpass when cyclists either wont use the roundabout or the cycle path. Dont even get me started on bloody pedestrian crossings either, I used to have really pretty toes.
surely a more reasonable alternative is use such legislation in order to force the highway peeps for safer cycle routes, more cycle routes etc – there has to be a comprimise in there someplace.