A consultation has been launched seeking your views on proposed changes to the Highway Code in respect of cyclists, walkers and horse riders.
The Isle of Wight Local Access Forum is encouraging its members and other interested persons to provide feedback on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s consultation, which was launched on Tuesday.
It comes as the Department for Transport holds a review with a view to improving safety for vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
The main changes being proposed include ensuring that road users who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to others, as well as making rules on pedestrians clearer.
The proposed changed also include providing guidance on cyclist priority at junctions when travelling straight ahead and also creating guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking cyclists and horse riders.
You can read the consultation online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-highway-code-to-improve-road-safety-for-cyclists-pedestrians-and-horse-riders.
You can respond by completing a survey at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/K736D5/.
Cyclists ought to be made to ride single file, never two abreast.
Cyclists ought to be made to pull over on long hills and narrow roads whenever they is a large tail back or motorists stuck behind them for too long, to prevent impatient over takers.
To be fair, most cyclists are decent as are most car drivers, but sadly those who aren’t, don’t usually obey the laws and rules we have now, so any new ones will cut no ice with such imo.
Also lights and insurance should be compulsory and use of cycle paths when available.someone on island echo said that they use the fairlee road not the cycle path because of the state of it. Funny i don’t use the cycle path because of the pot holes in the road.
Horse riders on the roads should have to ensure their animals are wearing ‘overshoes’. This will ensure greater safety from slipping on the tarmac surface. Too many riders do not bother with this and has resulted in serious, sometime fatal, injuries to animals.
Cyclists should be made to have insurance and road tax, if they wish to use the road.
If they do not wish to have insurance and road tax, they should stick to the cycle tracks.
Theres nothing worse than having a wing mirror broken off, by a cyclist riding past on the inside of a trafic jam.
Then for siad cyclist to say whoops sorry the carry on there way, i was left with a bill for £110.56.
or left to claim off my insurance.
“Road tax” would be £0 then as it’s based on emissions and newer cars like electric with 0 harmful emissions pay £0. So pretty useless comment saying should pay “road tax” really if you don’t know how it gets applied.
I say “road tax” as it’s real name is vehicle excise duty.
The real issue is that a lot of cyclists don’t seem to realise the highway code does apply to them and they can get points on license. Should be something to increase awareness and I do think should get something like small number plates.
Cyclists should only ride in single file, not 2,3 or more abreast, I have seen cyclists even riding on the wrong side of the road. I don’t criticise families out on a little bike ride either, it’s always the lycra clad ignorant ones who think they really do own the roads.
Keep horses off main roads (A roads) and stop them from telling drivers when it is safe to overtake, the driver should decide what’s safe to do, not the horse rider. Once again single file only.
Cyclists should be made to have at least mandatory public liability insurance and a unique number registered to the individual riding the bike that they have to fix to thier bike that’s transferable between bikes like a registration plate most cyclists like pleasure cyclists are ok it’s the so called “roadies, lycra louts, spandex jockeys, racer bike riders” that are the real problem I’ve met so many aggressive ones who ignore crossings traffic lights etc and are happy to lash out at motoists who have really done nothing wrong because they want to top of the leader board on some poxy app. So is department of transport want views maybe they should look into having cyclists having what I’ve said above insurance and personsonal registration they have to display
Stop riding horses.. Animals are not the transport.. Stop animal slavery….
Get a grip of yourself and give yourself a good shake.
If it wasn’t for horses, we wouldn’t of won the war! Riding a horse is amazing! You get an amazing bond with a horse, it gets you out in the country and seeing parts of the island you wouldn’t always see, it’s great for the person and the animals health? And to be honest if horses could have a right of way through every field .. then guaranteed, you wouldn’t see any horses on the road
You can do what you like to the Highway Code, the real issue is getting people to do 2 things –
Little to none of it is inforced regardless now !
Its a bloody mockery! And when it is its light sentencing….woman done for drink driving gets 6 points and a fine…gets to keep her licence because it was only a short ditance ! Had this person hit somebody…would it have still only been a short distance !?
yes I agree, as a road
they should have insurance & some id plate so they can be identified I have seen them go through traffic lights on red, be abusive & inconsiderate to motorists, cycle four abreast, these cycle clubs are a hazzard & also should be pulled for be on a cycle when over the limit with alcohol, it seems the government are always for the cyclists because they say it’s green how is it when they are causing a build up of traffic, the goverment generate money from the motorist they don’t get anything from a cyclist if they want them so much make them use a cycle route & stop causing accidents on the roads
Horses should only be on roads that are sign posted to warn drivers they are there, and should wear bags to catch thier poo so as not to foul the road and cause a danger to motorcyclists.
Motorcyclists cause there own danger by riding dangerously anyway. Horse poo might soften any potential crashes.
Cyclist do what they want as for groups far as road hogging and skipping lights by going up on the pavements .having said that drivers simply dont bother taking much care tbh and bf has had many near misses! Cycle lanes dont wirk as ignorant cars cut them up anyway…horses should stay on bridleways mostly anyway.and do like in london..hirses have bags on asses too catch the huge crap piles littering wherever they go.lets be honest roads now are just too busy for horses its fact.countryside or dont have one.
The perception that cyclists are now being treated more favourably is probably true but also a bit of a curate’s egg. However, (as daft as they look in their outfits) cyclists don’t generally ride around maiming and killing people. That is left for the law abiding, insurance paying and altogether considerate, non aggressive, lard arses in DFLs giving it large in their thrusting blurter boxes. Once in a while they need to climb off their air conditioned perches and consider (just for THE few seconds they are trying to gain on the road), the fear they peddle on to cyclists.
Yeah I’m a cyclist but I think I’m a considerate one. I don’t ride two abreast on main roads. I don’t run red lights or ride on the pavement. I use lights when its dark and I indicate my intentions as per the Highway Code. I try my best not to annoy other road users. However, I will assert myself in the harshest possible manner when being antagonised by an arrogant and ignorant ‘type’ in a killing machine.
Having said all that…the latest government narrative of having GPs prescribing cycling to reduce obesity is tantamount to letting fat people loose on bikes with no road sense. #carnage. So maybe some education on road use would be useful too, for everyone.