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Wales - View towards Barmouth (licvensed CC BY-SA 2.0 by DEdward Crompton on Flickr)Cycling UK fears Welsh Government guidance to only ride within walking distance of home may deter people from cycling
Cycling UK has warned that revised guidance from the Welsh Government issued last week which said that people cycling for exercise outside the home need to stay within walking distance of where they live may deter people from riding bikes during the lockdown.
The charity’s head of campaigns, Duncan Dollimore, told road.cc that the charity if seeking “further clarification” of the guidance, which we reported on here on Freiday.
> Welsh Government says you can only cycle within walking distance of home
“The Welsh Government guidance on leaving home to exercise, published on Friday, suggests that people should limit their cycling to ‘a reasonable walking distance from home,” he said.
“Cycling UK are concerned that this guidance might deter some people, particularly those who’ve taken up cycling in recent weeks whilst the roads have been much quieter, from continuing to cycle for both their daily exercise and for essential journeys.
“Cycling UK has therefore written to the Welsh Government today seeking further clarification, which we hope can be provided quickly.”
Last week’s updated guidance said that “as a rule of thumb” people should only ride their bikes within walking distance of where they live, and that “cycling significant distances from home is not considered to be a reasonable excuse for leaving it.”
But there is no specific mention of how far that distance might be, with no specific mention of it in the legislation or the guidance, leaving scope for confusion.
While the Welsh Government acknowledged that “cycling is a valid form of exercise and is also a suitable way of going to work,” it added that the guidance aims to relieve pressure on emergency services due to a rider having an accident or mechanical issue, which may also require someone else to make a journey to provide assistance.
Cyclists are also “expected to only cycle alone or with members of their household, on routes they know well, and that are well within their ability level.”
> Cycling dos and don'ts in a time of pandemic – how to be a responsible cyclist
Under Regulation 8 (1) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations 2020 “During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living or remain away from that place without reasonable excuse.”
The Regulations go on to define a “reasonable excuse” as including, at paragraph (b), “to take exercise, no more than once a day (or more frequently if this is needed because of a particular health condition or disability), either (i) alone; (ii) with other members of the person’s household; or (iii) with the person’s carer.”
Here are the paragraphs in full relating to cycling contained in the Welsh Government’s latest guidance.
Cycling is a valid form of exercise and is also a suitable way of going to work. Cycling is generally a low-risk activity but with emergency services under pressure, it is important to take steps to manage risk wherever possible. An accident or a breakdown far from home would place additional strain on health services or require a further journey to be made by someone else to provide assistance.
People are expected to only cycle alone or with members of their household, on routes they know well, and that are well within their ability level. Cyclists on shared paths should be considerate of walkers, runners and other people cycling: they should stay two metres from others, slow their pace and stop to let people pass as appropriate.
Cycling should be local, as a rule of thumb limited to travelling no further than a reasonable walking distance from home. Exercising by cycling significant distances from home is not considered to be a reasonable excuse for leaving home.20. Cycling to work, or for work, is a reasonable excuse to be outside (so long as going to work, or doing the work, is itself justifiable).
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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53 comments
Which neatly sums up pretty much everything going on about "lockdown vigilantes" in one sentence.
Can I veer this off-topic for a moment.
Like all of us, I've been overtaken whilst passing through pinch points, in the past.
Many more times than that I've heard a motorist behind me start to 'go for it' as I approach a pinch point, then suddenly notice the pinch point (bollards, island, whatever) and sensibly wait.
So, if the car actually hits the bollard or the island - should I just carry on riding and not get involved, or do I stop and risk the driver saying it was Somehow my fault? What would you people do?
I think I might have to stop as it's very difficult to ride whilst laughing uncontrollably.
At a sensible distance.
Maybe take a picture or two and think about reporting it.
While continuing to laugh.
They must hit them all of the time, probably late at night, don't know. Very few with any relation to cyclists.
It is a rare thing to see an undamaged illuminated/retroreflective bollard.
"And anyway, how does a random stranger looking at a random cyclist riding along a road immediately know that the rider is far from home, not local, has been out / is going out for more than an hour, is / is not within walking distance of home, is / is not carrying the tools to fix a mechanical, is / is not a key worker riding to / from their key worker job...?"
Oh that's an easy one! Lycra. If the cyclist is wearing lycra (and/or is riding something other than a sit up and beg with a wicker basket) then automatically they are guilty of all of the above. The joker in the pack is the 'mechanical' vulnerability which applies in all cases regardless of lycra or a wicker basket.
Normally I would go along with 'being seen to be doing the right thing' but it is clear now after many posts and discussion topics that is pointless. If people are prepared to queue like this
then there is no persuading some people of the low risk of cycling, or that 12 miles is not very far to cycle, or that cyclists are not spreading the plague and killing whole villages.
As long as people are self sufficient for food, water, most mechanical things, the distance isn't that relevant.
The only mechanical thing I have had is breaking a rim, but I guess I could limp home (not sure even you could fix that with a cable tie !)
"that the guidance aims to relieve pressure on emergency services due to a rider having an accident or mechanical issue, which may also require someone else to make a journey to provide assistance"
But driving a car more than walking distance is fine.....
I've fallen off my bike more times than I care to remember, but only needed emergency assistance once, when I was assisted in falling off by a driver using their car.
One advantage of having mechanical issues on a bike is that they're easy to fix, and when they're not I can carry my bike off the road - more than you can say for a car....
People are proper stupid!
I guess people shouldn't drive further than they could push their vehicle home.
Not far then.
One of my friends drove his land rover about 20m, paused to exit a private car park and the engine cut out. He could not restart the vehicle. The electronic handbrake was engaged so it was impossible to push it or move it. Fortunately, it was far enough back from the entrance not to block it.
He had to wait till the next day to get someone from a garage to come out.
"While the Welsh Government acknowledged that “cycling is a valid form of exercise and is also a suitable way of going to work,” it added that the guidance aims to relieve pressure on emergency services due to a rider having an accident or mechanical issue, which may also require someone else to make a journey to provide assistance."
I take it that car journeys should also be within walking distance given the concerns raised. With modern cars you may not have a spare wheel and if you do, you might not be able to get the punctured one off.
Let alone the engine management system shutting down due to a fault.
I imagine there must be quite a lot of drivers incapable of changing a wheel who should clearly not drive further than they can walk to relieve pressure on the emergency sevices.
I think by that logic all driving that isn't absolutely essential should be banned. You can carry a broken bike home, you're going to have a call out for your car.
Sriracha, I think it's just an illogical utterance from non-cyclists in positions of power who imagine cycling must be dangerous because, well, they've heard that people do fall off sometimes.
More people have accidents at home doing DIY or gardening, which is what they've told us we should be occupying our time with.
There's no sense in it, just ignorance and prejudice.
"... it added that the guidance aims to relieve pressure on emergency services due to a rider having an accident or mechanical issue, ..."
Where are the statistics to back this up? How likely is that to happen? Just because it could happen is not enough reason, since there are all manner of things more likely to happen which should more profitably be addressed first. Until everything higher up the list has at least been considered, to single out this one hypothetical risk looks at best like amateurish governance.
For example about 5300 accidents requiring hospital admission (UK, not just Wales) are due to flowerpots. Assuming that this creates a greater burden on the NHS than does cyclists being obliged to find alternative transport following a 'mechanical' at a distance from home greater than X, what measures has the Welsh Assembly already taken to mitigate the threat to the NHS from flowerpots?
https://www.rospa.com/faqs/detail/?id=80
Most of us live in urban areas.
Change your pedals to flats*, work out a 2 or 3** mile radius circle from the house.
Ride laps.
15 x 2mile laps is 30 miles, so probably about the same distance as you would have cycled - just a bit more boring.
But more enjoyable than the turbo, and infinitely better than staying at home.
*Easier to walk in than cleats.
** Appropriate distance to suite your individual location
Sorry, but no.
Your choice.
That, or stay at home.
I know what I'd rather do.
but that's not the choice is it?
The choice is ride within walking distance of your home or risk getting a fixed penalty.
Your choice.
Actually, feck it ... I really don't care.
Do what you want.
So you suggest staying in an urban area with more people, traffic and junctions is safer and more sensible than heading out to quieter country roads???
I'm suggesting that if riding 50 miles to you is that important, then make a loop using a reasonable walking distance as a radius.
If, in your opinon, where you live is unsafe to do that ... then don't; be a grown up and do your own risk assessment.
You want to do loops - rock on, fill you boots.
You don't want to do loops but still want to hit 50 miles - go for it, and then, if you get caught, enjoy the fixed penalty.
You don't want to do loops - stay at home and hit the turbo.
<quote>revised guidance from the Welsh Government issued last week [...] may deter people from riding bikes</quote>
Yes, that would be the point.
People famously walk from Land's End to John O'Groats, right...?
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