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Chris Boardman: Support British Cycling's Turning the Corner campaign

27,000 back call for Highway Code changes as research reveals typical cyclist suffers 25 junction near misses a year

Chris Boardman delivers petition to government aimed at improving safety of people on foot or on bikes
by Simon_MacMichael
Thu, Mar 16, 2017 00:12
6

Chris Boardman will today deliver a petition to the government that has been signed by more than 27,000 people urging the Department for Transport (DfT) to change the Highway Code to make the country’s roads safer for people on bikes or on foot.

Research from the Near Miss Project led by Dr Rachel Aldred of the University of Westminster has found that the typical cyclist experiences 25 near misses at junctions each year – with six of those, on average, described as “very scary.”

> Near Miss Project finds cyclists experience a “very scary” moment once a week

The petition was launched by British Cycling and the organisation, together with the former world and Olympic champion Boardman who is now its policy adviser, believe that simplifying rules regarding turning at junctions would improve safety for vulnerable road users.

> Junction rule change could prevent left-hook danger, say campaigners as petition launched

Specifically, the petition, also backed by motoring organisation the AA, calls on the DfT to require road users to give way when turning, as happens in a number of other countries including Denmark and the Netherlands.

Boardman said: “We know that the place where walkers - particularly the elderly and parents with children - and those on bikes often feel most vulnerable is when they are crossing junctions.

“Instead of the 14 conflicting rules in an outdated Highway Code, let’s borrow the common sense approach used in other European countries to create one simple rule that will make junctions much safer for everyone.”

Nine years have passed since the Highway Code was last revised, and British Cycling has created an interactive tool on its website to enable people to contact their MP to ask them to urge minister for transport Andrew Jones to make the necessary changes.

“This wouldn’t cost the government money and could be implemented very easily with political will. The cost of doing nothing is far greater,” Boardman continued

“As Westminster’s Near Miss project has shown, incidents at junctions are putting people off cycling for good.

“At a time when obesity and air pollution are at epidemic levels, surely this is the last thing that we want to see happen,” he added.

chris boardman
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Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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makadu | 7 years ago
2 likes

Don't the rules already exist -

Rule 170  mentions "watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way"

Rule 182  mentions "Do not overtake just before you turn left and watch out for traffic coming up on your left before you make the turn" and has nice do/don't pictures regarding left hook

Rule 183 mentions  "give way to any vehicles using a bus lane, cycle lane or tramway from either direction"

so I don't think that there is anything new - just making it simpler and clearer rather than spread across a number of rules.

Not sure what use it will be though as very few road users appear to follow the highway code in any shape or form.

 

Avatar
Bluebug replied to makadu | 7 years ago
1 like

makadu wrote:

Don't the rules already exist -

Rule 170  mentions "watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way"

Rule 182  mentions "Do not overtake just before you turn left and watch out for traffic coming up on your left before you make the turn" and has nice do/don't pictures regarding left hook

Rule 183 mentions  "give way to any vehicles using a bus lane, cycle lane or tramway from either direction"

so I don't think that there is anything new - just making it simpler and clearer rather than spread across a number of rules.

None of the rules start with "You MUST" or "You MUST NOT"  Only rules that start with that are legally enforceable in law.

Oh and anyone on foot can be run over by drivers not looking before they turn regardless of age. I've nearly been runover by elderly drivers on a clear day while crossing junctions near me and I'm definitely not old and slow.    

makadu wrote:

Not sure what use it will be though as very few road users appear to follow the highway code in any shape or form.

If the rules were changed to "You MUST" so fully enforceable then if a driver ran anyone over at a junction where they were turning then they would not be let off by the police.  Two of the worse cycling accidents in my area , the cyclists died,  were at the same junction and both drivers escaped prosecution even though there were other witnesses. 

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hsiaolc | 7 years ago
0 likes

Going at the right direction. 

Avatar
bstock | 7 years ago
0 likes

When cycling in the Netherlands I was astonished at how riders  took this right of way for granted and just crossed junctions without looking. Years of riding in the UK has made me far more distrustful, I was still stopping at every junction and assuming turning cars wouldn't wait for me.

 

This would be a very good change but even if enacted it would take years of enforcement before drivers accepted the change. I fear it's one of those rules drivers would ignore and the police wouldn't enforce.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to bstock | 7 years ago
0 likes

bstock wrote:

When cycling in the Netherlands I was astonished at how riders  took this right of way for granted and just crossed junctions without looking. Years of riding in the UK has made me far more distrustful, I was still stopping at every junction and assuming turning cars wouldn't wait for me.

I well remember almost causing a pile up of cyclists by slowing down at a junction on a group ride on a segregated cycle path in Denmark as an artic approached from the side road.

It would take some time for British drivers to learn, but despite appearances to the contrary, there is no actual evidence to show that they are less intelligent than Dutch drivers.

Avatar
emishi55 | 7 years ago
6 likes

Chris Boardman and Dr Rachel Aldred.

It's good to be reminded of the voices of sanity and ireason and inspiration while elsewhere hit and run drivers get reductions in driving bans and D Mail-readers get their frenzy-fix from the addled imagination of alt-facts 'cycling news' providers.   

Where might London be headed now - beyond leading the way for the rest of the UK? With Dutch style provision put in place to sort out the foulled up capital - had a decision have been made to choose a suitable candidate for the job of Walking & Cycling commissioner from the long list of seasoned campaigners - either Chris B & Rachel A would have been eminently suitable for the task....

hang on, who's that I hear...?  (in the voice of Harry Corbett)

What's that y' say Will Norman?  Y' "want t' play your xylophone?"

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