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Dragon recce 2012.jpgWelsh Government says you can only cycle within walking distance of home
The Welsh Government has updated its guidance on exercise during the lockdown – and says 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.” However, questions remain over what that distance may actually be, with no specific mention of it in the legislation or the guidance, leaving scope for confusion.
While acknowledging that “cycling is a valid form of exercise and is also a suitable way of going to work,” the Welsh Government says 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.”
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.”
As with similar regulations in force elsewhere in the UK, the legislation, aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus, places restrictions on the reasons people may leave their homes while the emergency continues.
> Cycling dos and don'ts in a time of pandemic – how to be a responsible cyclist
But while the legislation in England, for example, makes no reference to only being able to leave the home once per day, the Regulations in Wales do.
In common with the laws in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, much of the regulations have been left vague, which has led to confusion among members of the public about what they are and are not allowed to do.
In particular, lack of clarity about how long one should exercise for, or how far from home – note that reference in the Regulations to “rule of thumb,” whatever that is, that we mentioned at the start of this article – leaves room for people to be found to have broken the law when they did not intend to.
And already, one of the country’s major media outlets, Wales Online, has said that it “understands” that under the new guidance, cycling within 10 miles of home would be seen as a “reasonable distance” while being 20 miles away would not – although there is nothing in the guidance itself that backs that up.
(From a cyclist’s point of view, of course, a “reasonable distance” to enable them to get back home by foot in the event of a mechanical may be determined by whether they happen to be wearing cleated shoes, or trainers more suited to a lengthy walk).
In England and Wales, the decision to prosecute criminal cases investigated by the police and other agencies rests with the Crown Prosecution Service and the application of the law resides with the courts.
However, government guidance to legislation, while not forming part of it, can be a strong influence in determining what it is seeking to achieve and, ultimately, how it should be interpreted and enforced.
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).
As of yesterday, 8,358 people in Wales had tested positive for COVID-19, of whom 641 died.
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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83 comments
Almost half of it is sea where I am, and lots more is city. Surely the spirit of this is for us not to encounter anyone else nor need the NHS (though A&E is historically clear right now). For me, that's out into the countryside and a 10 mile radius is fairly restrictive. Though I will try.
It's worth remembering that I'm not permitted to get in my car and drive unless I have a specific, defined, pragmatic reason and destination; but I can get on my bike and go for a ride just because I want to.
No. You can get on your bike for the same reasons as you can drive your car, +1; exercise.
I think we're both right(ish). My point is that, on this rare occassion, cyclists are in a better position than motorists. Those who complain about the Welsh Government constraints should put them into context by comparing them with the constraints others face.
Maybe if there were legitimate scientific reasons to restrict cyclists in this way, people could understand it. England, which has seen the largest number of cases by far, see no reason to clamp down on those who exercise safely and responsibly, like the Welsh Government seek to do.
And any legislation that uses vague terms of 'rules of thumb' instead of talking in specifics, is obviously designed not to help the public but to catch them out.
There's no science. Just the same attitude as 'keep out of our village'. The people coming up with these rules are same people that believe phones can cause fires at petrol stations and rub potatoes on warts. Drown witches if they weigh the same as a duck.
But most garages still have signs up saying don't use your mobile on the forecourt...
The defined pragmatic reason for going for a bike ride is exercise. Exercise is crucial to maintain good health. Pre-existing poor health, including obesity, is the main risk factor for death from Covid 19. You're not exercising while driving a car!
I wholeheartedly agree. My comment wasn't a plea for more driving, it's a request that rather than moaning that 100 mile rides are discouraged, we appreciate and enjoy that the freedom we have and see the restrictions on cycling in the context of the restrictions others face.
One of these activities is for exercise (permitted) the other is not
Well said quiff!
Many people are missing the principle that you can only leave home for essential reasons with an allowance of daily excercises for health and well-being. Sunbathing on my local Llandudno beach is low risk but clearly not a valid reason for leaving the house. Cycling beyond walking distance from home and for more than an hour would also be viewed as not essential for health reasons. Even an hour could be seen as more than necessary. Obviously it is sensible that any activity you do at this time should minimise risk but that’s not the reason for limiting cycling. It is all about minimising the time, distance from and frequency of leaving your home.,
I’m sure that the people ‘rejecting’ this requirement would have a different view if they were on commitees responsible for reducing the spread of this virus.
Finally, I think any increased animosity to cyclists is due to seeing us indulging in a recreational activity rather than just taking essential excercise (even if it can be the same thing).
The problem with that argument is that the Welsh Government are loosening restrictions on other journeys.
More shops are being permitted to open up as a 'click & collect' service. This will inevitably lead to more journeys outside the home.
If more journeys for non essential items can be tolerated why on earth do they need to clamp down in cycling?
The new legislation is an absolute joke.
Is it 'clearly' not a valid reason, though? Taking some time to rest in a natural setting can do wonders for mental health, and we need to protect that as much, if not more than, physical health at a stressful time for many.
But that's the thing - it shouldn't be. That should only be an instrumental consideration in the main aim of minimising the chances of you catching or passing on the virus. Spending however much time you like outside the home, doing whatever you like, should be irrelevant, so long as you can do so without spending significant time in proximity to others.
Since there is really no way for a stranger in the street to know how far from home you have cycled or what time and distance you have covered, nor even how much exercise is your norm, that can not be the objective reason for any animosity. The "indulgence" has to be assumed, driven by the pre-existing animosity they harbour.
However I do think you are on to something. Clearly cyclist do get pleasure from their exercise, and that must grate with a section of the population who think misery is the only cure.
Kind of like the "rave bbq" of the crew of the sub, how dare they be in any way happy. I mean they can't go back to their homes and families, they should be glum when stuck with the rest of their household, in a very confined space, with whom they live cheek by jowl.
I think families could be the driving force behind the surge in bicycle sales. Remember that book by John Cleese "Families and how to survive them"? I haven't read it, but I'm sure it has a chapter about cycling.
I didn't get the furore over that either. Surely for the purposes of "stay at home" the entire crew qualify as a single household?
It is for these reasons that I am wearing my Rapha Riding Trousers (bought when even the sale was having a sale) and a touring style top from Decathlon.
Now is not the time to flaunt.
1. Why do we use the word lock down? It has been no such thing. Restriction yes. Lock down. Nope.
I just don't understand, or sympathise with those objecting. Yes a daft rule for many people but for some idiots its needed and we can't have one rule some people and another for others. So many selfish gits are pushing the limits that lines have to be drawn. If we had ALL done exactly as was needed from day one restrictions would be less onerous. Some people can easily do huge mile ages seeing no one. I bet I could rack up 100 and see no more than a handful out of cars. Some people don't have the space to do that . I can leave my house a hundred times a day and only my wife would know. No one else can see me walk into the woods. Some people seem to think that they should be trying to maintain normal life. Nope , you can't. Why not respect the views of the majority rather than me first. Stop picking holes in things, contribute not take, do your bit and not just in one way. Cycling is approved for health. Not in readiness for the possible season ahead. Be nice not nasty.
Because lockdown is the general term.
Nothing has changed in England regarding restrictions. The risk from cycling any distance is minimal. As katche pointed out you could have an accident within a mile of your home and need a &e.
As long as a cyclist is self sufficient for their journey, I don't see distance makes much odds .
Fortunately I don't live in Wales, but this is the sort of thing which, if introduced elsewhere, could convert me from active follower (to the letter) of the lockdown legislation to someone who does his own thing, within reason, and avoids being seen contravening the rules. I firmly believe that a key element in maintaining the public's adherence to the lockdown rules, especially if they are going to last many months, is total rationality in what we are being asked to do. As soon as the rules are irrational, people are no longer going to respect them.
This is the first time I've thought it a bad thing that Welsh Government has "gold plated" Westminster legislation. It's frustrating for keen cyclists who are riding in a responsible, socially distanced way, but ultimately the fact that we normally choose to ride 30, 50, 100 miles or more for fun doesn't mean it's objectively reasonable exercise in the current circumstances. Lots of other people's hobbies have also been curtailed, and frustrating as it is, the exercise exception is about ticking over and not going stir crazy, rather than keeping your normal training routine. It is also completely normal practice for legislation to contain general principles by reference to objective criteria, rather than set out prescriptive rules (eg in this case distances) which may not work in every case. I have already become more of a runner than cyclist during lockdown, and that looks set to continue. I feel bad for a certain TdF winner who I have regularly seen out on the roads around here recently though. More Zwifting for him I guess.
Technically your local grand tour winner is cycling to work. His work is cycling.
That's allowed.
Seriously though, the new legislation is a complete joke. What evidence is it based on?
When most of Europe are releasing lockdowns gradually those morons in Cardiff Bay decide to clamp down on probably the least harmful form of exercise still available.
Roll on the 2021 elections.
Fair point about the maillot jaune. No, the guidance (the bits about cycling are just that, not legislation) probably isn't evidence based, but I figure I can still have an ok ride while staying within a reasonable distance of home, so I can live with it. And I suspect they won't be actively pulling over many solo cyclists early in the morning to enquire as to their route plans.
I also live in Wales and I'm afraid I reject that guidance for every reason as total rubbish.
Firstly cycling is less hazardous than spending long periods on a couch doing nothing more strenuos than operating a zapper, a cyclist is just slightly less likely to receive a serious injury than playing table tennis, it is many times less hazardous than using a ladder at home, it is far far safer than taking a shower or bath. In other words cycling is one of the very safest things you could possibly occupy yourself with. Therefore they have they figures completely versa visa - contrarily to what those half baked idiots say, the longer you spend cycling the safer you will be.
This. Per hour, doing DIY, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedge, clearing the gutters, etc, all more likely than cycling to land you in A&E. Where is the objective justification for this knee-jerk decision?
I live in Wales, four miles from the border with England, So I can ride across the border ride where I want then come back into Wales and be within walking distance of home? Ludicrous.
If we are talking about trying not to clog up the health service then how about drivers being told not to drive further than a reasonable walking distance from home in case of accident or breakdown? It's drivers that put on average 450 people a day into hospital, however I do understand these are not normal times and the majority are being responsible.
Just irksome that there is one rule for one set of people (cyclists) but something different for everyone else.
Rule of Thumb, your (well mine) thumb, the top bit, is about an inch wide.
Educated under the metric system, wish I'd known about the inch thing many, many years ago, only found out about it a few years back. Allows fro a good guestimate.
The metric system is a wonderful thing, dependable, universal, based in base 10, but some in "imperial" does make sense in easy human scales. Some of it's quite mad though, the way it changes bases, even though some of them are easily divisible.
Yeah the metric system is only a fraction of the imperial one. Base of ten is the least wholly divisible of all.
It's one and the same word in French!
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