Cyclist divides opinion after sharing video of cars repeatedly driving ‘too close’ to him
THESE videos show cars repeatedly driving “too close” to a cyclist on numerous occasions – but viewers are divided on who is in the right.
The clip shared by an anonymous rider’s helmet camera shows them cruising along both residential and countryside roads.
At one point, a large Transit-type van suddenly passes the cyclist from behind in what appears to be close proximity.
And in another, a small sports car races past the cyclist from the back as they ride by a row of houses in Surrey.
The Highway Code states that drivers should leave “at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds”.
And it stresses that drivers should not overtake and instead trail behind a cyclist or horse if they cannot meet the 1.5m distance.
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It is not clear how much space each passing vehicle gave to the cyclist in the clips, provided by campaign group Cycling UK.
But despite this it the video sparked debate online, with both cyclists and motorists split on who was in the right.
One driver slammed: “What I don’t get is the occasions when you see cyclists blocking the traffic when there is a perfectly good cycle path to the side of them.
“Cycle paths put in at the bequest of cyclists to make it safer for everyone.”
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But one former cyclist said that while they felt sympathy for those on today’s roads, cyclists “don’t do themselves any favours”.
They added: “Those in their pseudo team kit that think they’re on closed roads as they pop out of side roads without warning, or suddenly turn right with a last minute cursory wave of the hand.”
The debate comes amid the new ‘hierarchy of road user’ from the Highway Code.
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The new rule means those people most vulnerable on the road are looked after by the people who pose a threat to them.
Cyclists watch out for walkers while cars and lorries take care to keep cyclists safe.
Have YOU been involved in a near miss or seen a particularly bad bit of cycling? We pay for stories. Get in touch: tom.hussey@thesun.co.uk