Minimum distance for overtaking cyclists campaign launched
- May 24, 2016
- EmmaArnold
A petition has been set up by cyclist campaigners urging for a legal distance for motorists to overtake cyclists.
They are asking for a one metre clearance when overtaking cyclists on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less.
The minimum passing distance would be increased to 1.5 metres on roads with higher speed limits.
Hugh Potter, Partner and personal injury solicitor at PotterReesDolan, said:
This must be right for all road users (and not just the thoughtless idiot who almost knocked me off my bike on Friday). Please sign up!
With regard to overtaking distances, the Highway Code only states to give 'plenty of room' to cyclists even though the cyclist death rates for the UK are considerably higher than many other European countries.
The Government says legislation of this type would be difficult to enforce although the issue is under review.
You can sign the petition here where 100,000 signatures are required to trigger a debate in Parliament.