Consultation outcome

Review of The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders

• From: Department for Transport
• Published: 28 July 2020
• Last updated: 1 December 2021 — See all updates

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Government response to the review of The Highway Code

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Proposed alterations to The Highway Code

PDF, 309 KB, 24 pages

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Table of proposed changes to The Highway Code

PDF, 255 KB, 29 pages

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Proposed alterations to The Highway Code: explanatory memorandum

PDF, 47.5 KB, 6 pages

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Detail of outcome

Documents laid before Parliament on 1 December 2021, outlining changes proposed to The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.

The feedback, analysis and outcome of the Review of The Highway Code consultation, which indicated we would be seeking to introduce all of the proposals considered during the consultation process, was released on 30 July 2021 in conjunction with commissioned research on sharing our roads.

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Original consultation

Summary

Proposes amending The Highway Code to introduce a hierarchy of road users, clarify pedestrian and cyclist priority, and establish safer overtaking.

This consultation ran from
30 July 2020 to 11:45pm on 30 October 2020

Consultation description

Consultation seeking views on proposed changes to The Highway Code to improve safety for vulnerable road users, particularly:

• cyclists
• pedestrians
• horse riders

The main alterations to the code being proposed are:

• introducing a hierarchy of road users to ensure those who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to others
• clarifying existing rules on pedestrian priority on pavements to advise that drivers and riders should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road
• providing guidance on cyclist priority at junctions to advise drivers to give priority when travelling straight ahead
• establishing guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking cyclists and horse riders

Documents

Summary of the consultation proposals on a review of The Highway Code

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Consultation on a review of The Highway Code

PDF, 623 KB, 67 pages

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Published 28 July 2020
Last updated 1 December 2021 + show all updates

1. 1 December 2021

   Proposal documents viewed by Parliament added.

2. 30 July 2021

   Outcome released.

3. 28 July 2020

   First published.