Cycle Space Signs Appearing Locally.

[Tangled Metal]

Just been round my area (in the car at the weekend) and noticed a lot of signs showing a bike and car with a 1.5m dimensioned gap between them. Anyone else seeing these on roads near you?

I think they've been springing up over this summer and they're like the motorcycling "think bike" signs. The Lancashire police force has been putting them up.

Is this a positive thing or some easing of the police guilt in not enforcing road offences? It's an AONB which is very popular with cyclists. I've not heard of any cyclist being injured or killed around there lately so I wonder why are they suddenly appearing?

[mjr]

Not seen them recently. Can you post a picture somewhere, please? Ideally www.cyclestreets.net/photomap/

[Tangled Metal]

Nope can't see a photograph on that site anywhere near the place I've been seeing them. It's the Silverdale area north of Lancaster but I seem to recall others nearer the east of Lancaster too. Around crook of Lune.

I doubt there's any photographs online if them just yet. Take a look at this link though to see the sign design.

https://www.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/safepass/

[gaz]

https://twitter.com/LancsRoadPolice/sta ... 9180882946

[landsurfer]

Good for them .... at least they are doing something.
Come on South Yorkshire Police, get with the programme.

I was subject to 2 "close pass incidents" on Sunday morning just gone.
Honestly scared the pants off me ..
Less than 30cm pass with no audible warning due to the headwind.
Bloody Sportive cyclists ....
Think every event is the TDF ....

[Pete Owens]

It is good that they are trying, but they really ought to show these pictures to scale. People don't relate to numerical figures when judging distance - they will see the illustration and think that is an example of how to do it.

If that was a photo of a real overtake then it would be about a 1m gap - not 1.5m.

[Barks]

But even the police are simply trying to ‘encourage’drivers to “always try” to give enough space - so the defence in Court will now be “well I did try to give the silly cyclist some space but there was a car coming the other way so I knocked him into the verge, it wasn’t my fault”.

[MikeF]

But even the police are simply trying to ‘encourage’drivers to “always try” to give enough space - so the defence in Court will now be “well I did try to give the silly cyclist some space but there was a car coming the other way so I knocked him into the verge, it wasn’t my fault”.

Yes. Those words aren't good and shouldn't have been used. They wouldn't have been used for other driving rules eg "...encourage drivers to always try to stop at red traffic lights" etc. Still, I think it's better than ignoring the problem and it may be better than what's written in the highway code, where distances aren't mentioned, although the picture is better.

[MikeF]

It is good that they are trying, but they really ought to show these pictures to scale. People don't relate to numerical figures when judging distance - they will see the illustration and think that is an example of how to do it.

If that was a photo of a real overtake then it would be about a 1m gap - not 1.5m.

It would have been better if it stated 1.5metres minimum as stated in their Twitter message.

[Tangled Metal]

However in the real world of ppl who don't get to pedantic about these things it'll read as "I must give the cyclist a wider gap." "There's not enough space to overtake, must overtake! Only half a metre gap, that'll do!"

It is still better than nothing.

Also it's better than those "think bike" signs I see everywhere when it's often the bikers in full race leathers riding round a blind bend on the wrong side that are the problem. Road past Barbon near Kirby Lonsdale anyone? Especially in the week before or after the IoM TT.

[mjr]

However in the real world of ppl who don't get to pedantic about these things it'll read as "I must give the cyclist a wider gap." "There's not enough space to overtake, must overtake! Only half a metre gap, that'll do!"

It is still better than nothing.

Barely - few would still go ahead if the space would obviously be nothing. Thinking there's half a metre gap means they're knocking the cyclist down if they've overestimated and anything at all changes, such as a violent sneeze.

[lankysnapper]

I saw these posters on holiday. If the link doesn't work use yer normal seach engine to find "deixa espai la vida Formentera" Got the point across I thought.

http://conselldeformentera.cat/index.ph ... 31&lang=en

[Tangled Metal]

I like that. Instead of a police traffic enforcement officer filling the gap (who some motorists would be happy to see knocked over) or should be the family of a cyclist.

Imagine a cyclist with a gap between them and your car filled with your partner, your child (ren) and your parents.

Would you drive more or less than 1.5m from the cyclist?

The answer about the parents and partner does depend on your relationship with them of course!