Cyclists have been warned new road rules could see them face severe punishment. The GOV.UK website states that as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, the government is vowing to take safety more seriously for everyone on the road by rolling out new changes.
The new powers are designed to allow the government to make the streets safer for pedestrians "by introducing new cycling offences to tackle those rare instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cyclist behaviour."
The government website explained: "What we are doing will not criminalise new behaviours. Instead, they will ensure that people who cause serious harm because of their bad cycling behaviour, which is already a criminal offence, are subject to penalties which equivalent to those already in place if the same level of harm is caused by drivers of other vehicles."
The UK Government says there are "already strict laws in place for cyclists and police have the power to prosecute if these are broken".
The government said: "The Crime and Policing Bill introduces appropriate offences to the Road Traffic Act 1988, with the corresponding maximum penalties being set out in the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988."
The offences and the maximum penalties that are being introduced to achieve this are:
To ensure "consistency in offences and penalties across Great Britain", the UK Government shared that this key "legislation will extend to Scotland as well as England and Wales."
The legislation comes after the Department for Transport (DfT) announced funding of almost £300 million for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6 for local authorities in a bid to provide high-quality and easily accessible active travel schemes across England.
Announced on February 12 2025, the DfT stated the funding will help to support "economic growth, health and net zero missions by helping to revitalise high streets, improving air quality and supporting people to live longer, healthier lives."
The bill is currently making its way through Parliament. It will become law if it is approved, although amendments could be made before the process is completed.
