So slightly seriously was thinking about this yesterday.
I think the pecking order is:
Pedestrians
Horses?
Cyclists
Motorcyles
Cars
Vans
HGVs
Straight from a practical POV it looks like motorbikes now have carte blanche to overtake at junctions with impunity. Which is clearly madness. In fact I recall public information films that explicitly talked about the risks of overtaking at junctions.
Secondly isn't undertaking pretty much discouraged throughout the rest of the code?
Finally I fear the 'You have more responsibility' appears to be easily translated into 'I can abdicate all responsibility for my own safety and whatever happens, it's someone else's fault'. Which I am pretty sure is not the intention.
C
This is basically the nub of it, all the nonsense to one side.
Give way to more vulnerable road users.
If you're in a car you have a higher level of responsibility to not injure or kill those around you because a moment's distraction can have horrendous consequences if you collide with anyone more vulnerable; be they a child or adult on foot, bike, horse or motorbike!
It does not mean that everyone else has carte-blanche to walk across the road blindfolded.
The rules aren't really changing, only some of the guidance to highlight areas which have been points of contention or which have resulted in accidents, injuries and deaths. It has always been the case that before you maneuver, you must be aware of your surroundings (mirror, signal, mirror, maneuver). The guidance highlights areas where vulnerable road users might be and that you need to be aware of and should be as a driver.
They could include a different set of pictures with multi-lane roads to highlight that when turning left you should be aware of road users (including other cars) on your outside and that you must not swerve right as part of turning left! This is a major bugbear of mine but mostly something that I see whilst driving rather than cycling!
I'm not really sure why people who exclusively drive get so irate about cyclists. Generally, on the other hand, cyclists also drive and therefore don't tend to see the car as a weapon of mass destruction (though I'm sure we all remember examples of cars being used very effectively as weapons by terrorists).
Cyclists do have a fear of drivers though because we've all been in situations where a driver either intentionally or thoughtlessly has needlessly put our lives at risk for example passing too close or on a blind corner or similar.
Inevitably cyclists make mistakes, just as drivers do, the reason for the refresh of the guidance is to try and ask drivers to have a little more care and sympathy for the cyclists who, if you hit with your car, would likely die.
If you are screamed at by a cyclist,
they probably thought you were going to kill them. You may have thought you were driving appropriately and left enough space but obviously you gave them a fright and perhaps give a wider berth next time or wait until there is a bigger gap; a few seconds delay is nothing in a car with brakes and an engine doing your accelerating for you.
Please, if you have negative feelings about cyclists for any reason, just consider how you would feel if a member of your family was run over by a car or lorry - dreadful I imagine. Now think how dreadful you'd feel if you had caused that. Now just try to think how easily with a small mistake you could kill the pedestrians or cyclists you pass every day.
This is all about vulnerability; relax, drive a little more cautiously on roads which are shared with everyone.
Roads maintenance is a totally separate issue. Cyclists don't cause anything like the wear and tear that cars do and cycling has many other benefits so it would be a nonsense to require road charging for cycling. I don't know anyone who exclusively cycles and doesn't have a car (save children who do trivial mileage) so most cyclists will be over contributing by comparison to people who are exclusively motorists.
Cycling and the infrastructure for cycling is cheaper, better for everyone's health and therefore reduces NHS burden compared to private car and public transport alternatives. Majority of journeys undertaken in the UK could be easily accomplished on a bike, reducing cost, reducing environmental damage, improving health and reducing transport delays for those carrying out longer journeys by other means.
Cycling should be encouraged by all means and anything which discourages cycling is a negative for us all. I want to feel safe when I cycle and have less traffic for when I drive longer distances. The more people cycling and the more sympathetic other road users become, the better those aims can be achieved.
