Road.cc recently blogged on the arrival of the US originated campaign, “3 Feet Please” in the United Kingdom and I was curious about whether such a campaign would work here. Would we need a metric jersey for example or would we understand what three feet means?
Joe Mizereck who is behind the “3 Feet Please” campaign states that
It’s my hope that this “3 Feet Please” jersey will remind drivers across the world to share the roads that belong to all of us and to give us at least 3 feet clearance as they pass. This will make our riding safer and far more enjoyable. But most importantly, it will reduce the numbers of cyclists who are injured or worse killed.
The jersey can be brought from 3feetplease.com for ~US$60.00 plus postage and it can be purchased without the “Its The Law” slogan on the front if you so wish as its not a specific legal requirement in Western Australia to maintain a specified distance. However, road safety material does suggest a minimum gap of 1 metre and there are laws against negligent driving.
So would you wear one of these jerseys? Do you think it is a worthwhile campaign? Other thoughts on it? Please do leave a comment below.
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Wade, thank you for posting the question. If your cycling friends believe the campaign would work best using the “1 Metre Please” request, I would be happy to make that happen.
Thank you,
Joe
I’ve been tempted to get one of these, but I wear a Camelbak MULE on my back, which would cover up most of it.
My Mule has a big Slow Moving Vehicle triangle on it, which leads me to my slogan, “Treat me like a tractor.”
The other thing that worries me about that jersey is that some drivers will aim at the space between the arrows like a bullseye.
It’s like the mixed message a U.S. sign sends with a picture of a bike with Share the Road under it. Motorists interpret that to mean that bike should share the road (get out of the way) with cars, not the other way around.
There are two complimentary activities going on here. From an Australian perspective the first is wearing a nice bright jersey that urges vehicle drivers to give you some much needed space when they overtake you and the second is advocacy for legislation that enshrines in law that it is illegal for a vehicle to overtake a bicycle at a distance of less than one metre. My opinion is that one is pointless without the other and to make it effective you need more than a few cyclists riding around in these bright yellow jerseys.
I first heard about this when I discovered 3 Feet 2 Pass (http://www.3feet2pass.com/). These guys are pushing the legislative side of things in the US and as far as I know they do not produce a jersey. This blog post introduced me to 3 Feet Please. I do not know if the two are connected in any way.
Regardless, as a bicycle commuter that regularly gets passed closely by vehicles and overtaken on blind corners I think anything that helps create a respectable buffer between cyclist and motor vehicle, in all directions, is a great idea. Yes, the rednecks will see it as a challenge but fortunately cycling is on the increase and therefore one must assume the number of rednecks is on the decrease.
I would like to see a 1 Metre Please (or similar) campaign started in Australia and am willing to be involved in said campaign. As I hinted on Twitter I think it would be great if we could get organised and launch the campaign at or just prior to the 2010 Tour Down Under and get some Government support. It would be great to see lots of the riders that converge on Adelaide for the TDU cycling around town and through the hills in these jerseys. The TDU is only about 6 months away so a lot of work would need to be done in a relatively short period of time.
I’m going to start contacting 3 Feet 2 Pass, 3 Feet Please and State cycling organisations to try and find out if anyone else in Australia is doing, or planning to do, the jersey and advocacy. Once I get responses I’ll assess the way ahead.
[...] was trying to start a groundswell campaign in his native Australia to get a similar One Meter Law [...]
Andrew,
You asked what my Slow Moving Vehicle triangle looked like on my bike. Here’s the answer.
I think these shirts are a great idea. I only have a few K’s on a busy highway but the more aware you can make drivers the better. I would certainly be interested in getting together a bulk purchase if anyone else wants to join in.
If there’s anyone interested please let me know
cheers
Craig