FEATURE
protection of cyclists and the inclusion of a welcome ‘hierarchy of road users’. The final text of the amendments for the code, which sets out advice, guidelines and mandatory rules for road users, was due to be published in late January, but the Government has long suggested that all of the proposed amendments would be included. In July 2020, the Government began consulting with the British public on how the Highway Code should look, then publishing the results from the 21,000 responses and in July 2021, the Department for Transport (DfT) indicated that it intended to introduce all of the proposed amendments from the consultation. But what are the biggest changes and, most importantly, what do the rules mean for cyclists? Cycling UK, the advocacy charity behind much of the campaigning for the updated Highway Code, has set out some of the more significant additions: • The ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’ •
Simplifying the rules for non-signalised junctions
• New rules to tackle dangerous overtaking and ‘close passes’
• The inclusion of the Dutch Reach, to help prevent ‘car-dooring’
Hierarchy of road users Potentially the most important of changes is the introduction of a hierarchy of road users, which means the Highway Code will now recognise that road users who present a great danger to others have a higher level of responsibility. Effectively, car and HGV drivers have greater responsibility to act safely over more vulnerable groups like pedestrians and cyclists. The addition to the code was broadly supported by the public during the Government consultation, with 79% of people agreeing to its introduction.
Non-signalised junctions According to Cycling UK, nearly three-quarters of crashes involving cyclists take place at junctions. The new change in the Highway Code should address that, by simplifying the 14 existing rules. In short, the new rule will mean drivers turning at unsignalised junctions should give way to pedestrians or cyclists going straight ahead across their path, offering greater priority to walkers and riders. This should in turn reduce left-hook collisions and make
it easier for local authorities to build cycle tracks that have priority at junctions.
Close-passing The new Highway Code will also include more detailed
22 | February 2022
guidance on what constitutes a ‘close-pass’ on cyclists and horse riders. Under the new guidance, drivers should leave at least 1.5
metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds up to 30mph, and then give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds, again offering greater safety to more vulnerable road users.
The Dutch Reach Another welcome introduction to the code for cyclists is the ‘Dutch Reach,’ a practice that encourages drivers to lean across and use their non-doorside arm when opening their car door to exit their vehicle – this is designed to prevent ‘car-dooring’, which results in hundreds of injuries each year (according to DfT stats) and on some occasions fatal crashes.
Additional changes
Alongside these four fundamental changes, there are a number of other amendments to the Highway Code that will affect cyclists. Rule 66 will be a clarification on the rules around
cyclists riding two-abreast, which was previously confusing and may have suggested that cyclists shouldn’t be riding alongside one another. The new rule says: “[Cyclists should] be considerate of the needs of other road users when riding in groups. You can ride two abreast and it can be safer to do so,
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