A BRISBANE cyclist has given drivers the thumbs up for their approach to Queensland’s new one metre rule.

Chris Cox filmed footage of drivers at Indooroopilly giving him a wider berth than normal after the introduction of the new road law earlier this month.

“The drivers that were already trying to do the right thing do it even better. Then you’ve got the people that wouldn’t give a stuff no matter what that still pass a bit close or don’t pay much attention to what they’re doing,” Mr Cox said.

“There are some doubting Thomases in the cycling community as well as motorists, but I think generally speaking it’s being seen as positive. I think the main place where it’s going to come into its own is if there is an incident, there will be a lot less wriggle room for a driver and his lawyer to get out of it.”

What do you think? Are motorists adhering to the new 1m rule? Post a comment below.

Mr Cox said he knew of cyclists who had still been passed by motorists within the one metre requirement at 60km/h.

“I don’t know whether it’s a punishment pass or just general aggression toward cyclists but they’re the ones that go particularly close and fast. They’re really intending to intimidate, so really it doesn’t matter what rule you’ve got in place, if people want to do that they’re going to do that.”

media_camera A car getting wider of the rider at Indooroopilly, as shown by the cyclist’s helmet camera.

At least one motorist was at risk of giving a cyclist too much room on the road.

“I heard someone complain they nearly got hit head-on because the driver was giving the 1m and didn’t think to look ahead to where they were passing,” he said.

Mr Cox said some cyclists already have footage of illegal passes that they intend to report to police.

“I think generally the attitude of people I know is if something feels dangerous, they’re going to report it, but people aren’t going to quibble if people come within 90cm of them or something.”

Stephen Mitchell from online information group Cycle said the 1m rule was a great start but more legislative change was needed.

“We’re only at the tip of the iceberg when we start looking at the submissions that were put in about law changes in relation to cycling,” he said.

Some of the negative public reactions to the 1m rule have also forced some long-term cyclists off the road.

“Those people have said ‘until this blows over, I’m not riding. They’re going to put their riding life on hold and let it all settle down first,” he said.

Mr Mitchell had also seen motorists giving cyclists extra room on the roads, and said most of them have no desire to hit a rider.

“There’s a very small minority of people who think it’s quite funny to drive as close to a cyclist as they can and blast their horn and throw stuff at them,” he said.

“Under the old rule or the new rule or if there was a new rule that you couldn’t travel within 100m of a cyclist, that minority would still break that law.”

media_camera Cyclist Chris Cox appreciates the extra room on his commute after the introduction of the 1m rule.

As someone who mountain bikes, road bikes and has ridden track in the past, Mr Mitchell said Brisbane has a car-focused public and government.

“I’ve been hit by cars three times in six years. I’ve had a broken shoulder, a broken wrist and a 10cm square of skin torn off the back of my leg,” he said.

“If I had’ve been in a car, I would’ve had two dings in the side of it or a written-off car, but sadly I wasn’t in a car. Each of those was ticketed at the scene. I’m not having a go at the police or the courts – that’s just the rules they’ve got to work with.”

Mr Mitchell said he knew several friends who’ve been hit by bottles and rubbish while riding on Brisbane roads.

“I had a friend who was stalked by a car driver who kept doing U-turns on Sandgate Rd to come back and throw more stuff at him, but that’s a tiny minority,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re on a bicycle, in a car or walking down the street or at work, if they’re d***heads, they’re d****heads. This is part of the issue we have with the whole, what media likes to call the war between cars and bikes.

“People from both sides will say ‘those bloody car drivers’ or ‘those bloody bicycles’, but it’s not because they’re a car driver or a bicycle rider, it’s just because they’re a d***head,” Mr Mitchell said.

“It’s got nothing to do with the form of transport they’re taking at the time. That’s probably the big issue both sides have got to get their heads around.”

For more local news, follow Quest on Facebook.

Originally published as Is the 1m bike rule working?