IAM RoadSmart criticises UK Highway Code update proposal

UK proposals to alter existing advice in a bid to make vulnerable road users (VRUs) safer have been criticised by safety campaigners. The Department for Transport is considering a change to the Highway Code which would mean motorists should give way at all times to pedestrians and cyclists crossing at side roads. But IAM RoadSmart says this does not go far enough – and insists that longer-term measures to keep drivers and cyclists segregated in a safer cycling environment must be introduced. As things
October 22, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

UK proposals to alter existing advice in a bid to make vulnerable road users (VRUs) safer have been criticised by safety campaigners.

The 1837 Department for Transport is considering a change to the Highway Code which would mean motorists should give way at all times to pedestrians and cyclists crossing at side roads.

But IAM RoadSmart says this does not go far enough – and insists that longer-term measures to keep drivers and cyclists segregated in a safer cycling environment must be introduced.

As things stand, rule 170 of the code says that pedestrians have priority “if they have started to cross”. But it does not say who has right of way if someone is about to step off a pavement at the same time a vehicle arrives at a junction.

“For us it’s all about segregation, and safe streets for cycling and walking if you want to get cycle usage to really take off,” says Rebecca Ashton, head of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart.

“If the government is serious about wanting to increase the uptake of cycling and reduce the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads, there has to be a long-term approach to a comprehensive cycle path network.”

8101 Highways England last week announced a £3 million contract with Sustrans to help deliver a national programme of improvements to the National Cycle Network.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ETSC welcomes EU plans for safer cars, vans and lorries
    December 20, 2016
    The European Commission has published a list of 19 lifesaving safety technologies that could be made mandatory on new vehicles in the next update of EU vehicle safety rules expected next year. The European Transport Safety Council (ETCS) welcomes the announcement but says several critical areas for action are missing, and the proposed timescale is far too long considering that most of the technologies are already available. ETSC says 26,000 people die on European Union roads annually, with at least
    Read More
  • New user research: What makes a successful road journey?
    March 30, 2017
    Drivers say journey time is the most important factor to measure on England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads, according to research published by Transport Focus, the transport user watchdog and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the monitor of Highways England. The research, Measuring performance of England’s strategic roads: what users want, includes the views of drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and freight companies. Drivers are most concerned with issues relating to journey time, which includes how
    Read More
  • New junction on London’s Cycle Superhighway offers safety measures for cyclists
    August 25, 2015
    Britain’s first junction designed to avoid cyclists being hit by left-turning traffic is unveiled today, the beginning of a new wave of such junctions on London’s busiest main roads. Cyclists and turning motor traffic will move in separate phases, with left-turning vehicles held back to allow cyclists to move without risk, and cyclists held when vehicles are turning left. There will also be a new ‘two-stage right turn’ to let cyclists make right turns in safety. For straight-ahead traffic, early-release
    Read More
  • Big wheels keep on turnin’
    August 21, 2018
    Many of the great and the good in the global mobility sector gathered at this year’s Movin’ On event in Montreal. Measured regulation of technologies and safety issues were major themes, reports David Arminas. *Bibendum is the original name for the Michelin Man, the symbol of the Michelin tyre company Autonomous vehicles, platooning, smart intersections and safety – these were the talking points over two-and-a-half days of the Movin’ On event in Montreal, Canada. Everyone in the mobility sector is at the
    Read More

Highlighted Content