Why cycles need 1.5m of passing room.

I've noticed this picture doing the rounds for a couple of days now and would like to discuss some points which have caused me concern. Having been the victim of a 60mph hit and run by a car overtaking too close to me whilst on my bike (and leaving me for dead at the side of the road with serious injuries that took around 2 years to fully recover from), pictures like this cause a huge issue for the safety of vulnerable road users, including people on cycles.

1. Cycles and motorbikes are allowed to filter in traffic. "Filtering" is the process of moving past slow or stationary traffic and can be done on either the left hand side of traffic or the right. Rule 60 in the Highway Code states that road users should ‘be aware of other road users, especially cycles and motorcycles who may be filtering through the traffic’ and Rule 88, in relation to manoeuvring, states that road users should take care and keep speed low ‘…when filtering in slow-moving traffic’. Rule 211 says that ‘it is often difficult to see motorcyclists and cyclists, especially when they are filtering through traffic’. Whilst this clearly states that drivers should "look out for cyclists or motorists on the inside of the traffic", it is also the responsibility of the person on a cycle to anticipate the actions of other road users and plan their routes accordingly. For me, this means I will often filter on the outside right hand side of traffic and not on an inside left hand lane, especially when traffic is turning left.

2. Advanced stop lines have been introduced on many roads in the UK and these spaces are reserved for cyclists at junctions. They allow cyclists to start off first when the traffic starts moving. Often cyclists will need to filter through stopped traffic in order to reach the advanced stop lines, however, it will sometimes be better practice to wait behind other cars at a junction than to squeeze through a precarious space next to the kerb in order to reach the cyclists area. Cyclists should keep in mind that undertaking on the left is dangerous even where vehicles are stationary or where there is a cycle lane on the road. Whilst some cyclists may not follow this advice, many will and tarring all cyclists with the same brush puts the most vulnerable road users at risk.

3. A close passing clip to a cyclist or vehicle at 0-5mph in stationary or slow moving traffic is unlikely to cause the kind of injury (or death) that a clip to a cyclist will cause at 60mph. On a solo cycle ride two and a half years ago, I was hit by a vehicle travelling at over 60mph who left me for dead at the side of the road. I was left with a significant knee injury and two years of intensive physio and rehabilitation and my knee will never be the same as it was before the incident. My helmet took a huge brunt of the impact and whilst I had minor head injures and cuts all over my face, that helmet had snapped almost in half from the impact and saved my life. The psychological impact of this event meant that I was unable to cycle for over a year and I am still not able to go on solo cycle rides. And this is precisely why cyclists need 1.5m of passing room. Because if they are not given enough room, they can be killed or seriously injured.

4. Memes making groups an object of hate or ridicule are discriminatory and have no purpose other than to cause certain groups of people to be the victims of anger and vitriol. As somebody who rides a bike, I am often sworn at, deliberately overtaken too closely by angry drivers who have had to wait a full 30 seconds to pass me and on another occasion I was subjected to threats of violence. My husband was once followed to work at 5.30am by a dude in a Jag who wanted a fight for Dave daring to cycle on the road. Pictures like this do not help to encourage an environment where all road users treat each other with respect and kindness.

Instead of posting "hilarious" memes targeting groups of people, maybe we could all treat each other with kindness, respect and patience and ensure that we all get to our destinations safely and happily. Just a thought.

(Legal/technical jargon from cyclelaw.co.uk)