Motorists are being urged to look out for ‘mass cycle rides’ taking place across Britain next week as part of a campaign calling for improved safety standards for a specific group of riders.
More than 40 ‘glow rides’ are scheduled for the evening of Wednesday 22 October to highlight the need for safer routes for female cyclists riding after dark.
Cycling UK, the charity co-ordinating the events, said women are ‘fed up’ with poor cycling provision.
Riders taking part across the country are being urged to ‘light up the night’ by adding additional lights to their bicycles.
As such, drivers need to be prepared to see large gatherings of cyclists on the roads as they head home from work that evening and ensure they’re up to date on rules regarding how they overtake riders, especially those in large groups.
Earlier this year we revealed that the number of cyclists complaining to police about being overtaken too closely by drivers had reached record levels following the introduction of Highway Code rule changes designed to better protect them.
More than 40 ‘glow rides’ are scheduled for the evening of Wednesday 22 October to highlight the need for safer routes for female cyclists riding after dark
Cycling UK says a survey of 2,204 UK adults carried out in March has indicated the gender gap in barriers to cycling has widened.
Compared with seven years ago, the proportion of men put off from cycling because of drivers overtaking too closely has reduced by six percentage points to 46 per cent, but just one percentage point to 58 per cent for women.
Concerns over a lack of segregated cycle lanes decreased by three percentage points to 35 per cent for men but rose by one percentage point to 44 per cent for women.
Some 58 per cent of women said their cycling journeys were limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure.
Compared with seven years ago, the proportion of men put off from cycling because of drivers overtaking too closely has fallen to 46%, but for women it’s 58%, a recent poll found
Some 15,779 clips of ‘incidents’ of drivers passing to close were captured on cyclists’ helmet cameras were submitted to forces in England and Wales last year. That’s double the volume seen in 2021 – the year before the Highway Code rule change
Earlier this year it was reported that cyclists have been shopping more drivers to pthe police for overtaking dangerously close than ever before.
50 major changes were introduced to the Highway Code in 2022 – many of them giving priority to cyclists over motor vehicles
It comes after new rules implemented from January 2022 require motorists to leave ‘at least 1.5 metres’ of space when passing cyclists at speeds up to 30mph and encourage bikers in groups to ride side-by-side.
This was part of a wider – and highly contentious – overhaul of the Highway Code to better protect vulnerable road users, which includes giving cyclists priority at roundabouts and instructions to position themselves in the middle of lanes on safety grounds.
Since the rules were imposed, submissions of video footage of cars, vans, coaches and other heavy vehicles overtaking within dangerous proximity to riders have more than doubled, an investigation revealed earlier this year.
Some 15,779 clips of ‘incidents’ were submitted to forces in England and Wales last year, information obtained by IAM RoadSmart found. That is more than double the total of 7,249 in 2021.
Police said that 38 per cent of video evidence submitted in 2021 led to a notice of intended prosecution being sent to the offending driver, though this rose to 54 per being served in 2024.
When the road safety charity polled drivers about the correct passing distance, almost three in five didn’t know the legal minimum requirement under the 2022 rules.
Drivers found guilty of passing too closely can be charged with careless or dangerous driving, which could result in an unlimited fine, disqualification, or imprisonment.
Cycling UK’s survey found that concerns over a lack of segregated cycle lanes decreased by three percentage points to 35% for men in the last four years, but has risen by one percentage point to 44% for women
IAM RoadSmart polled over 600 drivers earlier this year about the distance they must give cyclists when overtaking. Almost three in five didn’t know the legal minimum requirement
Drivers found guilty of passing too closely can be charged with careless or dangerous driving, which could result in an unlimited fine, disqualification, or imprisonment
Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of Cycling UK, said: ‘These glow rides show that women across the country are fed up with a lack of safe cycle routes in their areas.
‘Communities have long called for transport choices that not only make the commute to work…
Read More: More than 40 ‘mass cycle rides’ will take place across Britain next week in