SIR, – Lockdown has created a huge increase in both the purchasing of new bikes and the resurrection of old ones.
There is, not surprisingly, a great appeal in cycling through the beautiful Scottish countryside. However, it is becoming more treacherous as farm vehicles become larger and their drivers under more pressure to get jobs done fast.
Only last week my husband – an experienced road cyclist of more than 40 years – had a really near miss when a tractor pulling a wide spraying machine came very fast round a blind corner and with nowhere to go Dave had to duck, as part of the machine passed over his head. If it had not be for his experience, he might not be with us today.
For our final blog of #FarmSafetyWeek we look at the popularity of road cycling and the dangers faced by anyone driving an agricultural vehicle on rural roads, with our friends at @BritishCycling
— Farm Safety Foundation (@yellowwelliesuk) July 24, 2020
You can read more here - https://t.co/113Wp32aiE pic.twitter.com/hVYKyDXJ4T
Cyclists need to pay careful attention when cycling on narrow country roads and be more courteous, so as not to hold up and frustrate vehicles, as they saunter along the middle of the road. They must allow over-taking.
Equally, agricultural vehicle drivers need to be really aware of the width of what they are towing and how easy it is to misjudge when overtaking a cyclist.
Read more - Rural road safety in focus
There are likely to be so many more inexperienced cyclists on the roads over the next few months, which coincides with a busy harvest season and extra traffic on the roads.
Obviously, the ideal scenario could be more cycle-only routes and country roads favoured for agricultural vehicles, but that is a pipe dream for the foreseeable future, as council money is focussed elsewhere.
Cyclists and tractors need to co-exist on the roads and have more of a mutual respect for one-another.
Jennifer Taylor
Brae of Gadgirth,
Ayr.
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