A Bristol resident has hit out at proposed restrictions on cyclists. Transport secretary Grant Shapps recently proposed strict new road laws that apply to cyclists including 20mph speed limits and requiring number plates on bikes.
Gill Tanner has written to The Bristol Post to share her concerns around the proposals - slamming the suggestion that a speed limit could be introduced for cyclists. Read it below.
'I can’t see how the 20mph speed limits can be enforced for cyclists... Unless the government plans to supply all cyclists with speedometers'
As someone who cycles more than I drive (for the environment, for fitness and to save money), and have done for many years, I can’t see how the 20mph speed limits can be enforced for cyclists.
Unlike cars, few cycles are fitted with speedometers, so a cyclist cannot judge for certain how fast they are cycling. Unless caught in a speed trap, cyclists have no accurate way to know they are exceeding 20mph. So what are they to do, crawl along at little more than walking speed to avoid breaking the speed limit?
Surely this would deter people from cycling, which is the last thing we should be doing? Incidentally, I don’t agree with a recent correspondent that it is difficult to reach 20mph on a bike, especially when cycling downhill, and how is the rider to know whether they are cycling at 19mph or 21 mph? Unless the government plans to supply all cyclists with speedometers, I don’t see how a particular speed limit can be legally enforced.
Gill Tanner, Bristol
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