Cyclists may soon be forced to adhere to speed limits – and that could also lead to them needing to ride with number plates.
Recent reports have suggested that transport ministers are considering extending speed limit restrictions to cyclists.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the Daily Mail that it ‘cannot be right’ that those riding bicycles are currently not having to adhere to the same speed limits on roads as motor vehicles.
It comes less than two weeks after he vowed to create a new ‘death by dangerous cycling’ law that would effectively treat cyclists who kill in the same way as motorists, The Manc reports.
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“Somewhere where cyclists are actually not breaking the law is when they speed, and that cannot be right, so I absolutely propose extending speed limit restrictions to cyclists,” Mr Shapps told the paper.
“Particularly where you’ve got 20mph limits on increasing numbers of roads, cyclists can easily exceed those, so I want to make speed limits apply to cyclists. That obviously does then lead you into the question of: ‘Well, how are you going to recognise the cyclist? Do you need registration plates and insurance?’ And that sort of thing.
“So I’m proposing there should be a review of insurance and how you actually track cyclists who do break the laws.”
At present, the Highway Code and Road Traffic Act says that speed limits on UK roads only apply to motor vehicles and their drivers.
While local authorities can impose speed limits on cyclists, it has been rarely done.
Mr Shapps added that while he doesn’t want to stop people from getting on their bike, he said that we should not “turn a blind eye” to cyclists who break road laws, speed, and “bust red lights and get away with it”.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has refused to provide comment on Mr Shapps’ interview.
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