"So who should be giving way to who here?" Cyclist asks for Highway Code answers after near miss with driver turning HGV across cycle lane; A cyclocross race for people who hate their bike; Van Aert laughs at our NCN complaints + more on the live blog

You may be familiar with the 'who was in the right?' tabloid headlines that will often accompany a video published on certain media outlets' websites, usually depicting a situation where a cyclist will be categorically in the right but gets hit by a driver categorically in the wrong, and yet the question is still asked.

Well, we've got a Highway Code-related (thankfully crash free) one of our own for the Thursday live blog, Greg N whose London cycling videos have featured regularly on road.cc in recent times, asking his social media followers for Highway Code answers to the question: "So who should be giving way to who here?" 

So who should be giving way to who here?

This truck driver said he saw me as he was already halfway turning across #Cycleway4.

It's my understanding from the Highway Code rule H3 that just because you're in a truck it doesn't exempt you from stopping and waiting.... pic.twitter.com/LbVzCYWiOO

— Greg N (@n00dles71) January 2, 2024

"So who should be giving way to who here?" he asked. "This truck driver said he saw me as he was already halfway turning across Cycleway 4. It's my understanding from the Highway Code rule H3 that just because you're in a truck it doesn't exempt you from stopping and waiting..."

So, what does the Highway Code say?

Greg refers to the newly introduced sections (which came into effect at the start of 2022) outlining the "hierarchy of road users". Brought in to protect vulnerable road users, the hierarchy is "a concept that places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy". 

As per H1:

It is important that ALL road users are aware of The Highway Code, are considerate to other road users and understand their responsibility for the safety of others.

Everyone suffers when road collisions occur, whether they are physically injured or not. But those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to take care and reduce the danger they pose to others. This principle applies most strongly to drivers of large goods and passenger vehicles, vans/minibuses, cars/taxis and motorcycles.

Cyclists, horse riders and drivers of horse drawn vehicles likewise have a responsibility to reduce danger to pedestrians.

None of this detracts from the responsibility of ALL road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, to have regard for their own and other road users' safety.

 And even more to the point, H3:

You should not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles going ahead when you are turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle. This applies whether they are using a cycle lane, a cycle track, or riding ahead on the road and you should give way to them.

Do not turn at a junction if to do so would cause the cyclist, horse rider or horse drawn vehicle going straight ahead to stop or swerve.

You should stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists if necessary.

 "Wait for the cyclist to pass the junction before turning. This also applies if there is a cycle lane or cycle track and if you are turning right or left into the junction," the Highway Code states.

Perhaps it should not be a surprise that the Highway Code changes of 2022 are not as well known by the wider public as we would all like, Cycling UK at the time of their introduction calling for a long-term public awareness campaign to help produce a "mindset shift" on British roads. 

> The Highway Code for cyclists — all the rules you need to know for riding on the road explained

"We've seen the public's attitude shift on seat belt use and drink driving. This shows entrenched driving behaviour can change. The new Highway Code requires a similar shift, and it can happen again but not overnight," head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore said as the changes came into effect. "To make our roads safer for everyone, the government must be looking in terms of years not months to communicate and eventually enforce these changes."

And since their introduction repeat surveys have found a significant amount of people are still unaware of changes, research in September suggesting one in four drivers still don't know correct rule on cyclist priority.

The mixed nature of the reactions from road users to Greg's videos suggests we could all benefit from some clarity and widespread education on the matter...

That HWC rule has nothing to do with this situation. The driver could see the cyclist - who had priority. The driver should have waited.
Furthermore, his reaction was totally inappropriate. Having cocked-up… a simple apology could have put things right.

— David Glover Roberts (@glover_roberts) January 3, 2024

"It's unreasonable to expect the lorry driver to wait for a cyclist that's really quite far away. This is unhelpful, we must all share the road. I’m one to call out bad driving, this in my opinion wasn't."

"It is astounding that you are asking that question. A lorry getting into a tight turn to make a delivery, and you expect it to evaporate? Bizarre."

"You observed him indicating from half a mile back and you accelerated into it, which tells us plenty."

"The road area is separate. He was already on it, you have to slow and give way. Second you saw it a mile off and could have slowed. Why didn't you." 

Regardless of what you'd have done in this situation, some more information communicated to the public about the Highway Code changes can't be a bad thing. As ever get in the comments with your thoughts...

The news of the day in the world of pro cycling and bike manufacturers is that Lotto Dstny, the Belgian team of Victor Campenaerts, Arnaud De Lie and Thomas De Gendt, will be riding Orbea bikes this year.

"Like Lotto Dstny, we are a brand with a strong global presence. Through this collaboration we aspire to broaden our impact and strengthen our recognition worldwide," Ander Olariaga of the bike brand said.

"Lotto Dstny finds in Orbea an ideal ally to continue improving the performance of our entire structure. The adaptation to the new bikes has been quick and the willingness to continue working on their development is always there. Together, I am certain we can achieve great things," Lotto Dstny CEO Stéphane Heulot, added. 

Call us pot-stirrers (or worse) but we were mainly looking forward to any further back and forth between Lotto Dstny and previous bike sponsor Ridley, the bike brand in August accusing the team of "disloyalty" and "reputational damage".

Alas, no beef, just PR-friendly, mature 'thanks for the memories' posts...

 

 

 

 

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"So who should be giving way to who here?" Cyclist asks for Highway Code answers after near miss with driver turning HGV across cycle lanehttps://t.co/w7TVnfPMNA#cycling

— road.cc (@roadcc) January 4, 2024

 Plenty of comments on this one, Oldfatgit is a former C+E driver so can give an account with expertise from both sides...

"There are give way markings painted on the road at the elevated section as it crosses the cycle path. The driver should have taken these markings in to account prior to making their turn and established that the way was clear on all junctions that they were to encounter. This means that the driver should not have started the right turn and stayed on the primary route prior until their exit was clear.

"The driver was not concerned about blocking the primary route as evidenced by slowing to an almost stop to shout at the rider. In the driver's defence: it is likely that the driver misjudged the forward speed of the cyclists — we've all done it, on foot (and ended up running across a road), on two wheels and on four (or more) ... we are, after all human.

"Both parties could and should have done better; it was apparent that the vehicle was making the turn — the rider could have eased off and brought some time. The driver could have owned their mistake and apologised."

Here's a driver who actually knows what UK law says about those 'you MUST give way' road markings before driving over a cycle track. pic.twitter.com/KQulfPT3NL

— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) January 3, 2024

AidanR: "Technically the lorry driver is in the wrong, but I think it's reasonable to cut drivers of such vehicles a bit of slack when making manoeuvres like that."

Carior: "I have some sympathy with the lorry driver, I think he is technically in the wrong, and having started to cross the other carriageway it was incumbent upon him to wait for 5-10s for the cyclist to pass.  Ultimately he had a choice — give way to the cyclist and inconvenience the cars coming the other way, or not give way and inconvenience the cyclist.  Based on that metric, the decision should, in my honest opinion to be to give way to the person you have a greater risk of killing if it all goes wrong.

"Fortunately the cyclist could see this from a way out and so, in this case there was little harm done to anyone and personally that one would get filed in the, not exactly excellent driving but if that's the worst motorist behaviour I am subjected to on a ride I will call that a win."

Sriracha: "Given the gesticulations that I, as a pedestrian, receive from drivers turning into (more so than turning out of) the side street I am crossing, I'd say the updates to the Highway Code are little known.

"There is a heavy assumption by motorists, especially when they have indicated, that the onus falls on the pedestrian crossing the road to look out. They all remember the 'Jolly Green Giant' ad's message that motorists have priority — pedestrians should 'wait until the road is clear'."

peted76: "On this occasion I think CBikeLondon nailed it. Lorry [driver] was manoeuvering, bike [rider] gives way, a non-issue, everyone gets on with their day."

BalladOfStruth: "Having road sense and the ability to pre-empt and handle other people's mistakes doesn't change the fact that the HGV driver was objectively in the wrong here. Indicating does not give you priority, so how early he was indicating is irrelevant."

Click right to the video on his post... 

It's one way to clean your bike mid-ride. Good luck trying that on the National Swimming Network, sorry I meant National Cycling Network...

> National Swimming Network? Council slammed for slow response to cycle tunnel flooding