Cycling Road Signs Not Cycle Paths

I am an experienced cyclist. I have been cycling in local clubs in Cornwall since the age of 12 yrs old. I am now 42 yrs old. I cycle with three local clubs on a regular basis. I have cycled 5’173 miles on Cornish roads this year so far. I have a son who is 15 yrs old. He races road bikes competitively throughout the country. He is ranked number 2 in the South West. I have been chatting with fellow cyclists about the relationship between cars, bicycles and cycle paths etc for the past few years. It is widely acknowledged that the highway code for cyclists using the roads is not well known to motorists or cyclists. The problem we experience on a daily basis are;- verbal abuse from motorists, impatient car drivers revving behind us and above all close passing. Close passing is when a car passes by very closely when overtaking a cyclist. Close passing can result in hospitalising the cyclist or death of the cyclist. It is literally a game of Russian roulette for cyclists out on the Roads. I worry every time my son goes out on his bike. I believe motorists aren’t aware of how much room to give a cyclist when passing. If I asked you this question would you know how much room to give a cyclist when passing? A lot of people aren’t aware that it’s 1.5 meters. A lot of people aren’t aware that cyclists have the right to use the entire side of the road they are cycling on. Cyclists have just as much right to use the roads as motor vehicles do. If a cyclist chooses to ride two a breast then this is perfectly acceptable. Cyclist will do this to stop cars overtaking if they believe the road isn’t safe for motorists to overtake them. Cyclists will also ride two a breast to shorten the length of the cycling group so it is less distance for a car to overtake, keeping the group compact. If cyclists want to ride two a breast for any reason we are legally allowed to do so. I believe some motorists don’t think cyclists have a right to use the roads. We are seen as an inconvenience, we don’t pay road tax, we slow the traffic down, we are annoying and shouldn’t be on the roads. The truth is motorists don’t pay road tax either. Road tax was abolished in 1978. Nine times out of ten an impatient motorist will rev behind us and can’t wait to overtake on one of our many narrow roads only to find that when they do eventually pass us usually at high speed, close passing as they go, they have to stop for oncoming traffic or a tractor or traffic lights etc further down the road. Then we end up overtaking them again. We are slower than cars on the road but I don’t believe we slow traffic down as much as motorist think we do. We travel at around 20 mph and up to 40 mph sometimes. We Travel closer to the legal speed limit of cars than motorists think we do. Which brings me to my next point. Cycle paths are great for children and families to cycle on, they are great for joggers and walkers but cycle paths are not good for cycling clubs, keen amateur cyclists or some experienced commuters. It would be plain dangerous to cycle on some of these cycle paths at 40 mph. The speed of a bike is closer to the speed of a car than it is to a pedestrian or a runner. With the interest in new electric bikes on the rise even inexperienced cyclists can now travel at speeds in excess of 20 mph very easily. Which is closer to the legal 30 mph speed limit cars should be travelling on some of cornwall‘s Roads. Not very close to the speed of walkers, dog walkers, runners, families with young children using cycle path’s. The point I am trying to make is that we need to look at the relationship between cars and bikes on our Cornish roads. We need clear signage at the side of our roads stating that cars need to give cyclists 1.5 meters distance when overtaking. I believe this signage will give cyclists a right to use the roads. For some motorists this is what we really need to make clear. Please consider how much money you will spend on cycle paths which I believe will be in some cases better invested in clear road signage for cyclists. I believe if you invest lots of money in creating cycle paths for cyclists it will strengthen the belief that some motorists already have that cyclists don’t have a right to use the roads, they will believe we must take the alternative route of a cycle path. Some cycle paths are overgrown or not used at all currently because they are only good for families, children, runners and walkers leisure not for serious cyclists or commuters. If you want to invest in Cycling to make it safer for the people who ride bikes the most continuously throughout the year, people who use cycling as a mode of transport, people who cycle competitively, people who decide to take the bike instead of the car, please look to the existing roads. Invest in clear signage for motorists to respect cyclists. Carefully designed cycle lanes can work really well like the one on Henver Rd Newquay but they are not practical everywhere. Other countries for example Spain have clear signage for motorists to give cyclists 1.5 meters when overtaking. I will include a photograph of one of these signs at the end of this email. I am confident this will have a long-term positive affect on people who want to cycle but are currently scared to cycle on the roads in Cornwall due to dangerous drivers and close passes. If it was made safe to cycle on our Cornish roads and Cornwall promoted itself as a cycle friendly county with signs at the border saying "Welcome to Cornwall you are entering a cycle friendly county" for example I believe the benefits will be huge to the environment, to tourism, to combating road congestion, to reducing pollution, to health and well-being, to freedom, happiness, obesity and much more. Please look to invest in the roads for cyclists with clear signage and please remember motorways are for motor vehicles. Roads are for everyone. I believe your money would be better spent on signage. We want to keep using the roads to cycle on. We don’t need cycle paths. We need signage to help make our roads safer for cyclists.

Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to write this.

I thank you for reading my email.

Mark Wilson.