Top cop pokes flaws in RACV’s new plan to keep cyclists safe

Victoria’s top roads cop says a plan to see minimum passing distances for vehicles overtaking cyclists would be “very difficult” to police.

The RACV wants to trial a rule that means drivers must leave at least a one-metre gap when passing cyclists.

“We are the only state in Australia that doesn’t have a law, or isn’t at least trialling a law, for minimum passing distance rules in Australia,” Senior Manager of Transport at RACV, Peter Kartsidimas, told 3AW’s Ross and John this morning

“So we’re calling on government to do what they’ve done in other states and undertake a trial in Victoria for the minimum passing rule, and hopefully it saves a lot of cyclists lives.”

Under the proposed new rules, motorists would be required to leave at least a metre when travelling under 60km/h, and 1.5 metres when travelling faster.

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Ross and John had reservations — “people are notoriously bad at judging distance,” Ross said — and Assistant Commissioner of road policing Libby Murphy later told Neil Mitchell it would be hard to make it work.

One of the key issues is that the driver would not be in control of the situation.

“The slightest movement of a cyclist would cause an offence for the driver,” she explained.

Neil Mitchell concurred.

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