Under a drastic overhaul of traffic regulations, cyclists may be required to obtain license plates, insurance, and respect speed restrictions.
Amidst a cycling boom, there is a growing consensus among ministers that cyclists should adhere to the same speed limits and other traffic regulations as automobiles.
This is especially true for the expansion of 20 mph zones in residential areas throughout the nation.
It increases the prospect that cyclists who speed or run red lights might incur license points or penalties. Officials recognize that bikes will be required to have license plates or other identifying markers for enforcement reasons.
As part of a scheduled review, they want required insurance to be considered, so that pedestrians who are gravely hurt by careless riders may get compensation.
Pedestrians struck by automobiles may file substantial claims, which are compensated by the driver’s insurance. However, this is not feasible for victims of dangerous bikers, and poor cyclists cannot be sued. The ideas would be part of a broader crackdown on a minority of violent cyclists, which would also include the introduction of a new crime of death by unsafe riding, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stated in the Daily Mail last month.
Currently, due to a ‘archaic’ legal loophole, bicycles convicted of murder face a maximum of two years in prison, while motorists face life in prison. In the midst of escalating friction resulting from revisions to the Highway Code, a review of traffic legislation would increase equity.
In other places, cyclists are even encouraged to ride in the center of the road, as a result of the reforms that the government announced in January.
Mr. Shapps said to the Mail, ‘The only instance in which bicycles do not breach the law is when they speed, and this cannot be acceptable. Therefore, I suggest extending speed limit limits to cyclists. I do not want to discourage people from traveling by bicycle, since it is a terrific mode of transportation, and there has been a significant increase in cycling since Covid. But I see no reason why bikers should be allowed to disobey traffic regulations and get away with it.
Mr. Shapps may no longer serve as transport secretary in the Cabinet of the future prime minister. However, he said that the successor would be pressed to go through with the review. It is expected to raise issues about drink-driving limitations and the need of an age limit to prevent youngsters from being subject to the harsh regulations.
According to a study from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety from the previous year, one out of every 100 collisions in which a pedestrian was killed was the fault of a bicycle, compared to 65 in which the automobile driver was at fault.
The study listed 470 occurrences in which a pedestrian was killed by a road user in 2019. Five accidents were caused by bicycles, compared to 305 collisions caused by automobile drivers and 51 crashes caused by truck drivers. And seven cyclists were murdered on the road throughout the year, compared to 721 automobile drivers.
Nick Freeman, a prominent traffic law attorney, said, “This is something that must occur for everyone’s safety, and Grant Shapps should be commended for finally listening.”