This Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the much-discussed changes to the Highway Code – where did that year go? – and a new study has found that in the twelve months since the updates, just 18 percent of cyclists believe that they have made a positive difference to road safety, while just under half of the respondents weren’t even aware that the changes had been introduced.

The long-awaited changes to the Highway Code, implemented on 29 January 2022 in the midst of great consternation within the national press, included amongst other things the introduction of a hierarchy of road users aimed at protecting the most vulnerable, and drivers being advised to give cyclists a minimum of 1.5 metres of space when overtaking.

Communication of the changes left a lot to be desired, however, with the Department for Transport (DfT) waiting until July to launch its road safety campaign promoting the updates – leaving the new Highway Code to fall victim to swathes of misinformation (often perpetuated by the mainstream media) or plain ignorance.

In September, an AA poll found that, of the 13,327 members it surveyed, 8,090 (61 percent) said they had not read the changes. Of the 8,090 not to have read the new rules, 6,972 (52 percent) said they were aware of the changes but had not read them, while 1,118 (eight percent) were completely unaware of them.

A recent poll by cycling insurance specialist Cycleplan (link is external), however, indicates that ignorance of the new changes is as equally, if not more, prevalent amongst cyclists.

The company’s recent survey of 1,000 “regular” cyclists on the Highway Code changes found that 48 percent were not aware that the changes had been introduced (a similar figure to when the insurer carried out the same poll in early 2022).

According to the study, the changes – if they’ve even been read at all – haven’t led to a safer and more harmonious environment on the roads.

When asked whether they had noticed a difference in road safety at junctions over the last 12 months, only 18 percent of cyclists said that they felt safer. 12 percent claimed that junctions have felt even more dangerous since the Highway Code was updated, while 70 percent said that they haven’t noticed a difference.

Just one-fifth of the cyclists polled said they feel safe cycling on UK roads, while 32 percent claimed to have been involved, or nearly involved, in a collision with a motorist in the last 12 months.

Finally, when asked about how seriously national and local governments are taking road safety, just one in ten cyclists believe that the UK government has made safe cycling a priority, while only 12 percent agreed that their local council is working hard to make the roads safer for people on bikes.

https://road.cc/content/news/highway-code-18-percent-think-road-safety-has-improved-298887

Fairy-cyclists will never be satisfied, poll finds.

I am experiencing many more considerate passes since the change. I think the conscientious drivers now give more room. Most seem happy to do so.

The main change for me though is that I now ride way out in the road. I reckon the new highway code has given me the freedom to do this as many drivers have read that "cyclists now rule the road" and aren't sure of the changes so they play it safe. Most passes now are on the other side of the road.

The aggressive drivers are as bad as ever, may be even worse, so you can't relax at any time. Riding assertively does give you more wriggle room though when push comes to shove.

My last report was in November and I've had no problems since then until this week. I've just had three incidents in the last four days. What's going on?

I am a utility cyclist with occasional leisure rides in the countryside. I never ride without a camera.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> I am experiencing many more considerate passes since the change. I think
> the conscientious drivers now give more room. Most seem happy to do so.

> The main change for me though is that I now ride way out in the road. I
> reckon the new highway code has given me the freedom to do this as many
> drivers have read that "cyclists now rule the road" and aren't sure of
> the changes so they play it safe. Most passes now are on the other side of the road.

> The aggressive drivers are as bad as ever, may be even worse, so you
> can't relax at any time. Riding assertively does give you more wriggle
> room though when push comes to shove.

> My last report was in November and I've had no problems since then until
> this week. I've just had three incidents in the last four days. What's going on?

You seem to have already answered your own question, when you said “I now
ride way out in the road”, which of course is permitted by the Highway Code
but in limited circumstances.

> I am a utility cyclist with occasional leisure rides in the countryside.
> I never ride without a camera.

Just as well, with your attitude.

--
Spike

Here they seem to be bedding in.

I'm getting more drivers stopping at sideroads, and in the car I am stopping at traffic islands for crossing peds and cyclists and have not had any following cars up my bottom yet.

I note that the AA survey states that the number of members who have either read the new rules, or have awareness of them, is 92%.

We've got the interested-in-improvement and the awake; we need to worry about the dopeys, the hoons, and the crims.

On 27/01/2023 05:44 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Here they seem to be bedding in.
>
> I'm getting more drivers stopping at sideroads, and in the car I am stopping at traffic islands for crossing peds and cyclists and have not had any following cars up my bottom yet.
>
> I note that the AA survey states that the number of members who have either read the new rules, or have awareness of them, is 92%.
>
> We've got the interested-in-improvement and the awake; we need to worry about the dopeys, the hoons, and the crims.

But you'll never actually *get* the fairy-cyclists (nice description of
them!) to obey the law anyway.

The bad'uns are just as bad, the mediocre have generally improved and the good have got gooder.

I have noticed an increase in the irritatingly polite but slightly dangerous - the ones who stop to let you out when there are other vehicles flying around in all directions, and the ones who wait, and wait, and wait to pass when you feel that there were good opportunities for competent drivers - you are waiting for the dam of frustration to burst at the worst time. I did have a sequence of 3 overtakes within about a mile where each one had a near miss with oncoming traffic but gave me amazingly polite amounts of room to achieve this.

Do I feel safer - not really. I'm worn out by being on edge on the roads, and am moving to riding more gravel, which unfortunately means some drives to starts given the limited off road options locally. It actually makes sense because it is my first and last 5 miles which are the incident-ridden bits of the ride - basically urban drivers on urban and local country-esque lanes.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> The bad'uns are just as bad, the mediocre have generally improved and the
> good have got gooder.
>
> I have noticed an increase in the irritatingly polite but slightly
> dangerous - the ones who stop to let you out when there are other
> vehicles flying around in all directions, and the ones who wait, and
> wait, and wait to pass when you feel that there were good opportunities
> for competent drivers - you are waiting for the dam of frustration to
> burst at the worst time. I did have a sequence of 3 overtakes within
> about a mile where each one had a near miss with oncoming traffic but
> gave me amazingly polite amounts of room to achieve this.

> Do I feel safer - not really. I'm worn out by being on edge on the roads,
> and am moving to riding more gravel, which unfortunately means some
> drives to starts given the limited off road options locally. It actually
> makes sense because it is my first and last 5 miles which are the
> incident-ridden bits of the ride - basically urban drivers on urban and
> local country-esque lanes.

Be careful for what you wish…you just might get it.

--
Spike

From my perspective (urban town, suburbs, london) I would say the absolute nutters are as bad if not worse. However, the oblivious idiots are fewer, with a significant increase in decent passes.

On 27/01/2023 11:26 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> The bad'uns are just as bad, the mediocre have generally improved and the good have got gooder.
>
> I have noticed an increase in the irritatingly polite but slightly dangerous - the ones who stop to let you out when there are other vehicles flying around in all directions, and the ones who wait, and wait, and wait to pass when you feel that there were good opportunities for competent drivers - you are waiting for the dam of frustration to burst at the worst time. I did have a sequence of 3 overtakes within about a mile where each one had a near miss with oncoming traffic but gave me amazingly polite amounts of room to achieve this.
>
> Do I feel safer - not really. I'm worn out by being on edge on the roads, and am moving to riding more gravel, which unfortunately means some drives to starts given the limited off road options locally. It actually makes sense because it is my first and last 5 miles which are the incident-ridden bits of the ride - basically urban drivers on urban and local country-esque lanes.

Some people are just never satisfied, eh?

One thing I have noticed is the correlation between those who think the changes were unnecessary and those who feel our current national driving standards are excellent. I am betting that the same people say their driving / cycling is above average, after all way more than half the population say their driving is above average when asked. That is something that patently cannot be true.

It is obvious to anyone who takes the time to look around them that there is an epidemic of drivers who habitually speed, jump red lights, drive under the influence of drugs / drink, use mobiles while driving, drive unroadworthy vehicles and more. I don't think it's any coincidence that this has happened at a time when roads policing has been decimated by cuts. We need more and stronger enforcement and we need it fast or our road casualty figures will begin to climb.

On 27/01/2023 02:53 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> One thing I have noticed is the correlation between those who think the changes were unnecessary and those who feel our current national driving standards are excellent. I am betting that the same people say their driving / cycling is above average, after all way more than half the population say their driving is above average when asked. That is something that patently cannot be true.
>
> It is obvious to anyone who takes the time to look around them that there is an epidemic of drivers who habitually speed, jump red lights, drive under the influence of drugs / drink, use mobiles while driving, drive unroadworthy vehicles and more. I don't think it's any coincidence that this has happened at a time when roads policing has been decimated by cuts. We need more and stronger enforcement and we need it fast or our road casualty figures will begin to climb.

"unroadworthy vehicles"?

"UNROADWORTHY VEHICLES"?

Are you *serious*?

For shame, Mason, you are the very LAST person with any room to talk of
unroadworthy vehicles, with your epic drive half-way across a continent
in a vehicle whose windscreen wipers were not working.

Tosh and codswallop as per usual. In many countries including the UK, vehicles are required to give way to other vehicles who are behind. For example, when changing lanes (role 133 of highway code). The new changes just reinforce that cyclists should be treated like any other vehicle and not like 2nd class road users.

It's no wonder that improving the safety of our roads is so difficult when drivers and motorcyclists like yourself have cotton wool and rocks in place of brains.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> One thing I have noticed is the correlation between those who think the
> changes were unnecessary and those who feel our current national driving
> standards are excellent. I am betting that the same people say their
> driving / cycling is above average, after all way more than half the
> population say their driving is above average when asked. That is
> something that patently cannot be true.

Five gets ten you’re talking cobblers.

> It is obvious to anyone who takes the time to look around them that there
> is an epidemic of drivers who habitually speed, jump red lights, drive
> under the influence of drugs / drink, use mobiles while driving, drive
> unroadworthy vehicles and more. I don't think it's any coincidence that
> this has happened at a time when roads policing has been decimated by
> cuts. We need more and stronger enforcement and we need it fast or our
> road casualty figures will begin to climb.

Cycle journeys have been decreasing in number, down from 3% to 2% of all
journeys. So you’re pretty safe. Just don’t kill yourself in a
single-vehicle accident.

When the taxi drivers clubbed together to fund a camera monitoring a set of
traffic lights, they found hundreds of cyclists jumping the lights…..in one
morning….but no drivers doing the same.

Beat that for evidence that cyclists see the world through cycle-tinted
shades.

--
Spike

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tosh and codswallop as per usual. In many countries including the UK,
> vehicles are required to give way to other vehicles who are behind. For
> example, when changing lanes (role 133 of highway code). The new changes
> just reinforce that cyclists should be treated like any other vehicle and
> not like 2nd class road users.
>
> It's no wonder that improving the safety of our roads is so difficult
> when drivers and motorcyclists like yourself have cotton wool and rocks in place of brains.

Pathetic.

--
Spike

On Friday, 27 January 2023 at 15:06:15 UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Tosh and codswallop as per usual. In many countries including the UK, vehicles are required to give way to other vehicles who are behind. For example, when changing lanes (role 133 of highway code). The new changes just reinforce that cyclists should be treated like any other vehicle and not like 2nd class road users.
>
> It's no wonder that improving the safety of our roads is so difficult when drivers and motorcyclists like yourself have cotton wool and rocks in place of brains.

Make change from monkey and baboon brains.

On Friday, 27 January 2023 at 15:06:15 UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Tosh and codswallop as per usual.

Self-awareness at last!

The roads may be safer, but its the people using them are seemingly becoming more entitled, arrogant and willing to put themsleves in stupid situations to save a few minutes (if that). And that is across all modes of transport, I encounter some absolute entitled bellends on bikes when cycling, particularly in London.

On 27/01/2023 06:01 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> The roads may be safer, but its the people using them are seemingly becoming more entitled, arrogant and willing to put themsleves [sic] in stupid situations to save a few minutes (if that).

Well... that's fairy-cyclists for you.

The objection at the time of the published changes which seemed most ludicrous to me, but dearly held onto by many, was that giving way to pedestrians crossing a side road when turning from a main road would cause drivers behind to crash into the vehicle waiting to turn. Apparently many drivers felt that it was a huge imposition for them to not to crash into the vehicle ahead by being asked to look ahead, leave sufficient gap and, most outrageously, drive at an appropriate speed and that the good old days of simply driving at pedestrians crossing side roads was something of a golden age of motoring freedom.