New Cycling Rules for the Highway Code Introduced January 2022
From January 29th 2022 New Cycling Rules Pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders will have priority over larger vehicles on the roads with the potential to inflict the most harm under new changes to the Highway Code.
HGVs, buses, vans, taxis and cars will be subject to a new road-user hierarchy. This gives top priority to those at most risk. This includes children, elderly adults and people who have disabilities.
This latest code also says that cyclists should cycle in the centre of the road on quieter streets and in slower moving traffic so making them more visible. But they must move to the left safely if a vehicle approaches them from behind.
When overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30 mph, vehicle drivers must be at least 1.5 metres away from them. At higher speeds they should leave even more room for greater safety.
Vehicle drivers must also give way at junctions to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road the vehicle is turning in to.
Also recommended is the use of the ‘Dutch Reach’ technique, where vehicle drivers use their left hand to open their door when parked when driving a right-hand-drive car. This will give the driver more visibility behind him when opening the door into moving traffic.
The purpose of the new rules is to reduce collisions and make drivers more aware of the risk they pose to other road users including cyclists and pedestrians.
Rule 1: Hierarchy of road users
According to the government, Rule 1 creates a new hierarchy of road users, insuring that the road users who can do most harm have the greater responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to other road users.
Rule 2: Priority for pedestrians
With this rule, vehicle users at a junction should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross or actually crossing a road into which or from which they are turning.
ie, You should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross a zebra crossing, and pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross a parallel crossing.
Rule 3: Priority for cyclists and horse riders when cars are turning
Left turn accidents and close calls with cyclists are extremely common when drivers try to nip ahead of them before the junction.
For this reason Rule 3 states that drivers “should not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles going ahead when turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane”
Read more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-changes-you-need-to-know-from-29-january-2022
