Speaking to AD.nl, former WorldTour sprinter and five-time world champion on the track Theo Bos, suggested no passing zones would help improve rider safety in bunch sprints. By creating a sprinters' zone next to the barriers in the final 300m, Bos believes you could stop dangerous overtaking manoeuvres and reduce the amount of crashes. The first rider to the sprint zone would not be allowed to leave it and therefore avoid riders moving across the road during the sprint.
"No more wild west in the bunch sprints, with officials interpreting it only a little loosely, but few rules that everyone understands and that everyone can enforce," Bos said.
"This [no passing zone] prevents riders from swerving all over the road - sprinters, but also lead-outs. If you are at the head of the peloton at 300 meters in the sprinters' section, then you stay there. Leaving gets you relegated. If you overtake riders from behind, you are allowed to leave the box, otherwise you cannot pass in it.
"You can no longer dive into small holes, like Sagan in the Tour. But you also no longer get the situation that the front rider slams the door - with all the consequences that entails. Anyone who passes between the rider and the barriers in the sprinters section will be relegated."
Bos believes new rules are needed following a year marred by sprint incidents, the most notable of which was the terrifying crash at Tour of Poland involving Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen. Sam Bennett and Peter Sagan were also both relegated from sprints for dangerous actions at the Vuelta and Tour respectively.