Highway Code changes to protect cyclists and horse riders proposed for January 2022

The UK Government are proposing changes to the Highway Code to protect cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians.

After years of campaigning from groups, the UK Government are proposing changes to the Highway Code to protect cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians.

The changes are set to be included in the Highway Code by January 2022 and will establish a ‘hierarchy of road users’ with those most likely to be injured in collisions as a priority.

The hierarchy will be pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists, with children, older adults and disabled people being the most vulnerable.

The changes cover everything from how drivers should safely overtake cyclists, to new road restrictions.

These Highway Code rule changes target:

• Cutting across cyclists, horse-riders or horse-drawn vehicles at junctions
• Turning at a junction, if doing so may mean a cyclist or horse-rider has to stop or swerve
• Doing things would risk a collision with a cyclist
• Give cyclists, horse-riders and pedestrians as much room as a car – 1.5 metres for cyclists and two metres for horses
• Drive under 10mph when going past horses and under 30mph when passing cyclists
• Give at least two metres room when passing pedestrian’s walking on the road, where there is no pavement and making sure that speed is ‘low’

Head of Cycling UK Duncan Dollimore said: “These amendments bring not just much-needed clarity on key areas of reducing danger on our roads, such as safe overtaking distances of people walking, cycling or horse riding, but also through the new ‘hierarchy of road users’”

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