Our committee member Malcolm Taylor was interviewed by Gloucester Citizen:
“A cyclist has compared the feeling of a passing car to standing beside a railway platform as a high-speed train flies through the station. Malcolm Taylor, acting secretary for Gloucester City Cycling Club, was responding to the news that county police could start monitoring drivers who pose a danger to cyclists. The Give Space, Be Safe initiative, rolled out in the West Midlands last year, saw officers wearing plain clothes ride bicycles on main roads in a simple sting operation. They use radios and motorists who overtake too close receive a warning or face prosecution.
It was discussed at a county council (cycling liaison) meeting attended by Mr Taylor, who said a member of the cycling club crashed into a hedge following a near miss with a car.
Mr Taylor explained: “During a two-hour cycle near misses with a car will happen at least once. It can be quite scary and the motorists pass six inches from your handlebars meaning you could easily go into a pothole. Imagine standing by a railway platform while a high-speed train goes by – that’s what it feels like. One of our riders was recently forced into a hedge by a car.”
Mr Taylor also described dangerous overtakes such as a ‘left hook’ where the driver passes before taking a left turn, or where cars pass before stopping metres ahead at a traffic light.”
See here for the full story