New Highway Code

[fossyant]

Don't bother - I'm riding down the middle of the road until I get bored of it. Doesn't matter what YOU do, they'll still hate us. SOZ.

You mean you didn't do that before ?

 

[BoldonLad]

What these "new rules" seem to have done is simply trigger a whole load of people who weren't really aware of what their obligations or expectations were already - the 'news' has simply woken them up and given them a target to rant and rave in a focussed way at, rather than the constant but disparate commentary underneath Daily Mail articles or Jeremy Vine tweets. It is a rallying call to all the entitled drivers who have spent their whole driving lives under an assumed belief of righteousness. If there had been no changes to the HC but a high profile awareness campaign of what is expected the same would have happened.

We now see people railing against the "new laws" and I've seen an online petition raised to rescind the changes, largely all based on misunderstanding or simple ignorance of what the new HC statements actually mean. For the most part, to paraphrase, the new HC is essentially stating "if you see a cyclist doing this, they are allowed to" but sadly without the additional "...and always were".

People, especially entitled drivers, do not like being told that their beliefs or behaviours are wrong. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen comments about things being illegal, or quoting laws that are simply made up to fit the commentator's beliefs.

Most who fall into this group should have their driving licence withdrawn, since, IMHO, they are mentally unfit to be in charge of a 1 tonne motorised killing machine.

 

[matticus]

You mean you didn't do that before ?

Not ALL the time! Just, you know, most of the time ...

 

[tyred]

I do wonder whether - with all these perfectly reasonable arguments about cyclist paying road tax
after all 'they ' provide specific areas for cyclist to ride on
and there is evidence that they can cause road traffic 'accidents'
and therefore they should pay road tax

so what level of road tax should all pedestrians be paying - and where should they wear their number plate?????
the same things seems to apply - so, logically,the same should apply

and - I suppose - do they need a different number plate for each pair of shoes???

just wondering

Should overweight pedestrians pay more due to the extra damage caused to the road?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Should overweight pedestrians pay more due to the extra damage caused to the road?

Good point
maybe people wearing high heels should be in this category as well
and people with leather soled shoes - especially if they have the clicky steel tips on them

basically I'm satrting to think that having a reg number and paying road tax for each pair of used is probably the way to go.

I wonder what the road tax should be for a pram??

 

[Electric_Andy]

Joking aside, if anyone had any sense they would make some sort of public information video that a) outlines what you should do around more vulnerable road users and b) that road tax doesn't exisit and c) that many cyclists and pedestrians pay VED for their other vehicles, and d) VED is based on emissions not "potential to damage the road". But of course it's easier to just let things happen and for entitled motorists to rage on about owning the road becasue they pay more, and endangering cyclists because they have no patience

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I do think that this could have been publicised a lot better

I knew all about it - but then I look at cycling web sites

On a different point I just looked at the Daily Express and the comments on the HC article were pretty much wheat I would expect

best was that if there is a cycle lane then it is impossible to leave 1.5m when you pass

 

[fossyant]

Joking aside, if anyone had any sense they would make some sort of public information video that a) outlines what you should do around more vulnerable road users and b) that road tax doesn't exisit and c) that many cyclists and pedestrians pay VED for their other vehicles, and d) VED is based on emissions not "potential to damage the road". But of course it's easier to just let things happen and for entitled motorists to rage on about owning the road becasue they pay more, and endangering cyclists because they have no patience

But when said driver either pays nothing or £20 for VED..... grrrrr

 

[Solocle]

I do think that this could have been publicised a lot better

I knew all about it - but then I look at cycling web sites

On a different point I just looked at the Daily Express and the comments on the HC article were pretty much wheat I would expect

best was that if there is a cycle lane then it is impossible to leave 1.5m when you pass

Have to say that they do have a point with the typical murder strips. I'll tend to treat cycle lanes as if they're not there when I'm driving, apart from staying out of them. But the more challenged moton thinks "I haz lane, I is OK". If you cycle out of them, "WTF IS HE DOING IN MUH LANE". It's why they're worse than nothing at all.

Question is - what about narrow pavements? It's also impossible to leave pedestrians 2 metres of space without treating it as an overtaking manoeuvre...

The problem really is the bad infrastructure in those scenarios.

 

[alchurch]

Good point
maybe people wearing high heels should be in this category as well
and people with leather soled shoes - especially if they have the clicky steel tips on them

basically I'm satrting to think that having a reg number and paying road tax for each pair of used is probably the way to go.

I wonder what the road tax should be for a pram??

or someone walking a dog. Tax 1 or both?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

One thing that motorists do not seem to realise is when a pedestrian is walking very close to the kerb - especially if they have a bag and/or wide shoulders
I have often had to move out from my normal riding position in traffic to stay cler of a pedestrian
Especially as they can, on occasion, be unpredictable

Same actually applied to bushes and trees branches, especially in summer - driver don't really register them but a cyclist will have to ride further out.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

or someone walking a dog. Tax 1 or both?

good point - what about cats as well - roaming around the streets all night

you are probably OK with a budgie - I think they can be exempt

 

[youngoldbloke]

The really worrying thing about this is that it has become obvious that very large number of drivers have no idea what is in the current highway code, and nor do most journalists, and haven't bothered to look. A significant minority have no intention of looking at the new edition either.

 

[DaveReading]

Main one seems to be that cyclists are now allowed to undertake a vehicle that is about to turn left into a side street
which is clearly total rubbish

Be careful how you refute that.

Seen from the motorist's perspective (in the geometric sense), it's technically true in that a left hook involves a vehicle slowing down to turn and a cyclist (legitimately) maintaining speed, albeit that description totally misses the point.

 

[KnittyNorah]

you are probably OK with a budgie - I think they can be exempt

Pets kept in cages which can be carried around by hand (either inside or outside its cage) can be exempt, I tend to agree. Perhaps tiny dogs which are exclusively carried can also be exempt?
Children's scooters and trikes must be licensed, obviously. Clearly there should be a different tax regime for shod horse vs unshod horses, and both horse-drawn carriages and ox-wagons will come under different legislation, whereby there will be a charge for hooves/legs AND wheels.

Relevant legislation for hamsters will be difficult, though. given the constant use they make of wheels ...