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news
coronavirus - cyclists rides past social distance warning“Stay local” – What the latest lockdown laws and guidance mean for you and cycling
The escalation in the number of cases of coronavirus over Christmas and New Year has led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce a new lockdown in England, effective from today; while in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has outlined new measures that have come into effect there today. British Cycling says it is seeking urgent clarification from the government about what “Stay local” means for people in England when it comes to riding bikes for exercise; but according to the latest amendments this appears to be guidance, not law.
> Recovering from long COVID - a cyclist's guide
Here’s a brief summary of what the latest rules in England and Scotland, plus the existing ones in Wales and Northern Ireland mean for cycling, with a focus on exercise and leisure – with active travel encouraged for those who have to commute to work, or when undertaking essential shopping.
England
There is a summary of the rules on the Gov.uk website, which includes guidance and also outlines most things which are against the law. On Tuesday evening a full set of amendments were published which laid out the new laws that have now come into effect. Here are the rules relating to exercising and meeting other people.
Exercising and meeting other people
You should minimise time spent outside your home.
It is against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble. You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (e.g. a picnic or a social meeting). This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
You can exercise in a public outdoor place:
by yourself
with the people you live with
with your support bubble (if you are legally permitted to form one)
in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household
Public outdoor places include:
parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
the grounds of a heritage site
playgrounds
Outdoor sports venues, including tennis courts, golf courses and swimming pools, must close.
When around other people, stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household - meaning the people you live with - or your support bubble. Where this is not possible, stay 1 metre apart with extra precautions (e.g. wearing a face covering).
Additionally, in the 'travel' section of the guidance document it says: "This [outdoor exercise] should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)".
British Cycling has provided updated guidance on its website, where it acknowledges that some people may be confused by what constitutes their local area, and says it is seeking clarification on the issue.
“We know many of you will want to know what is meant by 'staying local'. The government’s definition of this is stated as ‘your village, town or the part of a city where you live’,” the organisation said.
“We understand that this definition is particularly restrictive for cycling, and we are working to seek further clarification on this. We will provide a further update as soon as we are able.
“In the meantime, we recommend that you follow the advice to stay local, ride well within your ability and ensure that you are self-sufficient.”
Update, January 6th: as mentioned above, it's now become clearer that exercising once per day and 'staying local' is guidance, and not the law. Does this mean it's sensible to go/ride against the spirit of the guidance? Probably not in most cases, and we'll be giving a more holistic answer to this question in our soon-to-be-updated guide to being a responsible cyclist in a time of pandemic.
Scotland
The mainland, and some islands including Skye, have been placed in Level 4. Some islands remain in Level 3, and you can find a list of those here.
For areas falling within Level 4, people are told to stay at home “as much as possible” and to “Travel no further than you need to reach to a safe, non-crowded place to exercise in a socially distanced way.”
The Scottish Government says: “A maximum of 2 people from 2 separate households can meet outdoors for sport or exercise. Children under the age of 12 from these households do not count towards this number.
“The members of an individual household or extended household [similar to a support bubble – Ed] can meet outdoors for sport or exercise.
“You can travel for local outdoor sport or exercise such as meeting another person, walking, cycling, golf or running that starts and finishes at the same place (which can be up to 5 miles from the boundary of your local authority area), as long as you abide by the rules on meeting other households.
“Indoor sports facilities are closed.”
Scottish Cycling last month produced a detailed guide to what informal and formal (ie organised) cycling is permitted under each of the country’s five tiers, which range from Level 0 (lowest) to Level 4 (highest).
You can find the guide here, but the Level 4 restrictions announced yesterday appear more restrictive than those that previously applied.
Wales
Wales has been in an Alert Level 4 national lockdown since 20 December, with the Welsh Government’s guidance available here. In response, Welsh Cycling said:
With the new regulations and guidance coming into place, this will mean a change in organised sporting activity. The new regulations mean you must adhere to the following:
All group activities are suspended until advised otherwise by Welsh Government
Ride on your own or with members of your household*.
Your ride has to start/finish at home.
Keep to social distancing measures of two metres apart.
If you live around borders into England please be aware of that regulations differ so please check the latest advice, we urge you to ride responsibly and within your ability to help protect the NHS [nb The latest rules in England mean that people in Wales will not be allowed to cross into the country – Ed].
It is also important to be self-sufficient by carrying the tools you need (i.e. inner tubes, chain tool and a working pump).
Welsh Cycling added: “As we enter another difficult period, we understand the physical and mental benefits exercise and cycling can have. We encourage you to continue to cycle but urge people to do so responsibly during this upcoming period and to follow Welsh Government regulations and guidance.”
Northern Ireland
As outlined on the regulations guidance page on nidirect.gov.uk, tougher restrictions were introduced in Northern Ireland following an increase in coronavirus cases on the 26th December, which meant the closing of all non-essential retail. From Friday NI will enforce a 'stay at home' law, however residents will still be allowed to take exercise outdoors. Here is the current guidance for sports on NI Direct.
Indoor and outdoor sport is not permitted, other than at elite level.
Elite training and competition can continue, both indoors and outdoors.
Elite sporting events must be held behind closed doors without spectators.
The definition of an elite athlete is set out in the regulations.
Horse racing can take place behind closed doors, in line with the elite sport regulations and animal welfare considerations.
All sports facilities such as leisure centres, gyms, health clubs, swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses, fitness and dance studios must close.
Other exercise facilities, including activity centres, equestrian centres (access for the purpose of animal welfare is permitted), marinas, and venues relating to motor sport and water sport must also remain closed.
Only individual or household outdoor exercise is permitted. Physical activity such as walking, running, cycling, horse riding, or just walking the dog, bring many health benefits.
You cannot participate in personal one-to-one training sessions or group activities such as running or cycling.
Physical education delivered by or for schools, pre-schools and other education providers is permitted to continue.
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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149 comments
Breakdown anywhere and you fix it. If you can't fix any reasonably foreseeable breakdown (puncture, broken spoke, snapped cable, broken chain etc) you shouldn't be out on your own at all, especially at the moment.
In the last 5 years and about 50,000km I've had one breakdown which has required vehicular assistance - a split tyre (and I could probably have bodged that if I'd had to). On that basis, on a 50km ride, I've got about a 1:10,000 of not making it home alone. I'll take those odds, even in a pandemic.
Utter nonsense. It would reduce the risk for me to get a lift from whereever I've had this unfixable breakdown than to walk with a bike any distance past potentially other people out walking/jogging etc. As someone said earlier, it is about risk. I reduce the risk of needing assistance, but if it does happen then it's better my rescuer comes direct to me in an isolated location for a straight here and there rescue. The whatiffery could be applied to anything, to the point that I'd best not leave bed in the morning.. except of course that would increase my potential burden on the NHS through an unhealthy lifestyle. There are far too many people that are thrilled about being paid to binge on Netflix.
The guidance clearly states stay local. It says nothing about roaming further if you judge it low risk.
To paraphrase what most people are saying on here -"staying local is too short/too much hassle/unfair" so I'm going to roam a bit further on the basis of my own "risk assessment".
By all means do roam further, so, but dont pretend you are using anything other than your own selfish interpretations to get a decent length ride in.
90% of the posters on here seem to be attempting to "rules lawyer" the guidance so it suits them rather than trying to abide by the clear spirit of it.
You may think its warranted but in the end it just makes you a lesser case of the idiots who drove from London to Snowdon.
There is a fundamental difference between going from A to A, and from A to B.
I've had a poke around the legislation and it says nothing about roaming at all. I can't find anything in the law that is asking you to stay local, or even defining what local means. Staying local only seems to be mentioned as a 'should' in the guidance.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I tried searching for 'travel' across the whole instrument and found nowt:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374
The specific bit that mentions exercise has no requirement of it being local either:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374/schedule/3A/paragraph/2
Edit: Just seen Steve K's comment on this and I must say I agree. There seems to be no legal requirement for once a day or staying local when exercising. If that is true, then it's not illegal and you cannot be fined for it.
The basic requirement is to stay at home. mdavidford pointed out the subtle change of wording though that it now says
Exception 1: leaving home necessary for certain purposes
(2) Exception 1 is that it is reasonably necessary for the person concerned (“P”) to leave or be outside the place where P is living
You then have a subjective judgement over whether it is 'reasonably necessary' to exercise twice or to travel 5/10/15 miles for a walk.
I don't really take much notice of the guidance (well, only to argue about it !) - if they want people to only go out once, then they should have said that in the SI. If I had a dog, I would be walking it twice a day not once simply because the guidance does not fit the SI.
It's no wonder people break the rules, make a sub optimal choice when there is such a mixed message about what is permitted.
Ah, good point - I'd missed the subtle 'reasonably necessary' catch-all.
Was this the same subjective judgement that led to the police inspecting the contents of supermarket trolleys in the first lockdown?!
I think I could quite successfully argue the case that my usual training route is reasonable. Mind you, it's going to depend on how 'keen' the police officer is in the unlikely event I get stopped!
Edit: actually, I think I could just point out my beer gut and I'm sure they'd agree exercise was totally necessary in my case.
I can't take the credit for that one as it was mdavidford that spotted it.
There were certainly a few policemen who were over zealous the first time and really didn't know the law.
I do remember someone from Wales (where is has always been stricter) posting on here earlier in the year that they did get grilled by an officer as to how long he'd been out and where he had come from ( I think the officer did not appreciate how fast soem cyclists can go).
It is not about getting a decent length ride. If you actually rode a bike regularly you might understand why cyclists prefer not to ride around town streets, and would seek to ride outside of town on quieter roads. Safety. The quieter roads reduce the chances of close passes, junction ignorance, and general anti-cycling behaviour from drivers nipping out to get their essential newspaper and fags. I ride outside of the local area to get to a safer area. I do not drive there, I cycle there because I am also conscious of the impact of using fuel to get me to a place for exercise (I also don't get why gym goers drive their car to the gym when they could get an extra exercise hit by running/walking/cycling to the gym). In the last lockdown there were many drivers who thought it was ok to drive 100 miles to a nice place and go for a walk, and call it exercise. My suggestion to you is to get yourself a bike and try riding, it will improve your physical and mental health and better prepare you for when the virus inevitably comes knocking.
I think the bollocks are all yours mister squirrel. I agree with the others here that the risk is extremely low. In fact, I ignore it because I haven't needed a pickup due to a mechanical in decades of cycling. As for risk re the NHS, I don't think a cyclist poses a greater risk than any of those people clambering around on step ladders to catch up on their diy jobs or even weilding a knife in the kitchen.
Apart from the fact that i have never needed to be collected, what's wrong with having to be picked up. I cycle over the M40 and several major A roads regularly and I can tell you traffic is not reduced. Taxis are still working so how on the off chance that I might need one any more risky than someone else using one to get to the supermarket?
Exactly. I interpretted the word 'travel' as going somewhere in order to exercise, rather than the exercise itself - let's face it the majority of people who get out for exercise will be doing it on foot, and mostly walking.
You're all missing the point.
Ignoring the guidance because its not the law is rules lawyering. You're doing it because you think the guidance shouldnt apply to you. Its a fundamentally selfish act that lies on the same spectrum as any other deliberate decision to ignore the advice, be it on mask wearing, non-essential "shopping" or anything else.
By all means carry on with it - but dont delude yourselves you're doing it for anything other than you think cycling and cyclists are somehow "special". Just like everyone else thinks their reasons make them special.
Everyone else is doing it - so why don't we?
It is not rule lawyering (is that a thing now?). It is applying common sense to get some much-needed exercise while not spreading any viruses. Clearly whoever wrote the guidance has no clue about cycling and couldn't be bothered (or didn't have time - rushed legislation is usually bad legislation) to consult anybody who did. I really don't see how riding in a one-mile loop around my village (which would have to include a section on a major A road) 50 times is any more likely to spread Covid than if I ride out for 25 miles and back for 25 miles. In fact, I'm likely to ride past more people doing the former, possibly repeatedly.
In the unlikely event I have a mechanical I can't fix, my wife would have to get in the car and come to get me. She wouldn't be encountering anybody or talking to anybody, and we would drive straight back home. Where is the risk in that compared to say jogging around a park with a few hundred other people?
It's been in the news that an overzealous police officer told an elderly lady that she couldn't drive to Tescos to do her shop as Sainsburys was a mile closer to her house. Now that's clearly ridiculous - the police force in question have said their officer was 'a bit too keen'!
I don't think anyone has said cyclists are 'special', just that it's not reasonable, or sensible, to do laps of the town ring-road or local park. I've just got back from a short local 12 mile loop around some rural roads and villages. I was thinking to myself how on earth I could have covered that distance, breathed fresh air, got in the hill climbs and maintained social distancing by staying within the confines of my small town.
This lockdown is going to be on for a while - exercise is important. I had covid a few weeks ago, very mild symptoms thankfully, which could be because I'd lost 2 stone by increasing my cycling over the past six months. As a household we had been almost shielding as I'm classed as vulnerable; doing all our shopping online, not seen any relatives, not been on holiday, no clubs etc. But we couldn't keep the kids off school.
You can't make me feel bad for keeping on riding outdoors.
Don't underestimate this factor. Shedding weight and getting/staying fit (and getting some vitamin D outdoors) are all known factors in fighting covid. People are very quick to visit their own misery on cyclists who appear to be enjoying themselves, but if for no better reason than it frees up a hospital bed for their own use they might want to bite their lip.
When the guidance does not match the law, there will be problems.
If you follow the guidance, you could spend 30 minutes battling your way to a supermarket instead of an easy 10 because the 10 is 'over the border'. How is that sensible?
You would spend time in a more densely occupied park rather than drive 2 or 3 miles further to a more accessible and less densely populated open space.
How is that sensible?
Does anyone know if the Barnard Castle car park is open and takes card payments? Asking for a friend.
Nige
I am Spartacus.
Regards
Dom
Rather than banning cycling or walking/running, which have clear physical and mental benefits, we should just ban driving.
Driving clearly makes a lot rather crazy. Is often anti-social, and causes pollution and studies have proven that the pollution particles can and do give the damned vaccine a lift and help.
Damned vaccine or damned virus?
It may be a surprise to your editors, but the UK still includes Northern Ireland and their rules can be found here:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-regulations-gu...
We've now added Northern Ireland's latest guidance.
Craggie
I thought we had traded Northern Ireland and fishing rights to the EU for the Brexit trade deal? Are you still part of UK?
Regards
Dom
All my rides for 2021 have been on the trainer so far due to the ice/snow on the roads. When I do manage to get out I'll be sticking to the same short 20 ish mile route I did in the last lockdown. Can't wait to get back out there. Cycling has been my therapy throughout the pandemic. Hopefully the folks in little bollington will be a bit more friendly this time
Your rules are fine as rules for you, if you choose them. They aren't the national rules.
The new Lockdown is big news, and affects all our lives. It's only natural that people are going to look into the details of the rules, see what is law and what is guidance, then make personal decisions about their behaviour.
Agreed - most people want to do the right thing, and don't want to inadvertently break the law. The risk of catching the virus outside is low, otherwise the govt wouldn't specifically be allowing exercise. As we've seen in the past the uncertainty around the law/guidance has led to conflict, and that's particularly worrying for cyclists who are vulnerable road users.
Not everyone has funds, space or neighbours friendly enough to be able to ride on a turbo and exercise is important for physical & mental wellbeing, which is important if you do end up catching it
You do know that Nigel Garrage is Socrati?
This is the definition of 'local' from the guidance summary: "Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live."
Yes, clearly for essentials shopping or e.g. commuting, people have to go where they have to. If one can cycle all well & good. Leaving home for the purpose of exercise alone (rather than, say, shopping) has to be done "in the village, town, or part of the city where you live".
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