Roads around the UK might end up smaller because new guidance says the old lane width is too risky for cyclists. The long running standard of about 12 feet has been used for almost 150 years and now the new rules say lanes should be no more than 10 feet 8 inches unless they go wider to at least 12 feet 10 inches.
The idea behind the narrow lanes is that it would signal to drivers that there is not enough space to pass a cyclist safely. The guidance also says cyclists would end up riding more in the center, which would keep people from trying to squeeze by them.
These rules come from Active Travel England, and they would apply to future road projects. Local councils that do not follow the rules could end up missing out on money.
Motoring groups are not happy at all, and Brian Gregory from a driver group said it would bring a huge economic hit. He said: “If you slow everybody down to the speed of cycles on narrow roads that is a huge economic cost to the country in wasted time” and he went on and called the whole plan completely stupid.
Some of the frustration also comes from the fact that cars today are wider than they used to be, going from about 168 centimeters long ago to around 180 centimeters now. A spokesperson spoke to the media and said: “There has never been legally binding standards for road widths and that remains the case.”
The spokesperson added: “The Government is absolutely on the side of drivers. Over the past year alone, we invested an extra 500 million pounds to help local authorities maintain their road networks, committed 1 billion pounds to repair bridges, flyovers and tunnels, and gave the green light to over 30 road schemes to improve journeys across the country.”
