THANKS to covid, we’re all used to keeping our distance – but some motorists are getting too close to cyclists for comfort.
Last Thursday, Thames Valley Police held an education exercise, called Operation Safe Pass, on Wokingham’s Finchampstead Road.
A cyclist rode along a stretch of road near the Two Poplars pub. If motorists tried to overtake without leaving at least 1.5m space between them, a police patrol vehicle pulled them over. Under the new Highway Code, this gap should be at least 2m if the motorist is driving at 30mph or more – about a car’s width.
After a friendly chat with an officer, educating them on the risks of dangerous overtaking, the motorists were sent on their way again.
Sergeant Dave Hazlett, of Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary’s joint operations roads policing unit, oversaw the operation.
“Today is all about raising awareness about safe passing, making sure that everyone has their part to play. This isn’t just a particular focus on car and van drivers, it’s also about making sure that cyclists are doing the right things as well, ensuring they’re complying with junctions, traffic lights and all that kind of stuff.
“It’s a two-way process to make sure that everyone can share the road safely.”
Also in the car park where members of MyJourney Wokinghan, on hand to offer advice to pedestrians and cyclists.
And Adrian Betteridge, from cycling advocacy group WATCH Wokingham observed the operation.
“We want to see more people cycling, but the fear of roads puts a lot of people off,” he said. “Fundamentally, we’re not going to see a lot of people walking or cycling until there are proper segregated spaces.
“It’s good to know that police are taking an interest in people being close-passed by cars, and other dangerous behaviour, but ultimately it’s about that segregated space.”
Mr Betteridge said that cyclists were 22 times more likely to be injured than as an occupant of a car.
“There’s a real issue to be resolved,” he said. “We’re not going to resolve the issue fully just with better driver behaviour, we do need to create space for walkers, pedestrians and cyclists to be away from traffic so they’re fully protected.”
And Mr Betteridge had first-hand experience of drivers getting too close for comfort, saying that at least once a month he contacts the police with videos of dangerous driving recorded from his bike.
“At the moment, that does result in them receiving a referral for driver education or, as in one occasion this year, someone being prosecuted for careless driving.”
Sgt Hazlett said that the drivers they’d spoken to had been aware of why they had been stopped.
“We want to try and address complacency that can exist among road users. If you do have a collision with a pedal cyclist, it can quite devastating. We’re making sure drivers are fully aware of that.”
The exercise in Wokingham follows on from a similar initiative in Finchampstead last autumn.
“We’re responding to complaints that have been raised within the local area,” Sgt Hazelett said. “We want to make sure cyclists do feel supported by police and partners, that they can get around the roads as safely as they can.
“By raising that awareness, that’s what we’re aiming to achieve.”
