'End the Highway Code Border separating us': Sinn Fein puts brakes on call to rewrite Northern Ireland road rules, four years after major safety changes in Great Britain
A call has gone out to end a ‘highway border’ separating Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, after road rules were rewritten in England, Scotland and Wales but stayed the same here.
Drivers across the province still use an older version of the Highway Code that doesn’t follow instructions introduced in Great Britain four years ago.
Among the altered rules over the water are many new protections for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as different guidelines for junctions – and even a new way to open car doors.
But successive Sinn Fein ministers have put the brakes on the idea of following suit, meaning drivers in Northern Ireland diverge from their counterparts in the rest of the UK.
Answering assembly questions this week, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins reinforced that road safety in the province is a matter for Stormont, stating: “Consequently, there are differences between the Highway Code applicable here and that used in Britain.
“I am aware that in Britain a substantive update to the Highway Code was made in 2022 to reflect changes to their policies. Similar policy changes have not been made here.
“Amendments to the Highway Code are only made when the underpinning policy or legislation is changed.”
Ms Kimmins said the code here may be rewritten to bring it into line with the Graduated Driver Licensing scheme she launched for new and young drivers this month, but maintained there’s so far no evidence on whether or not the changes in the rest of the UK are making a difference.
Her position has been called into question by Ulster Unionist MLA Alan Chambers, who pointed out that he got a similarly non-committal answer when he quizzed the Sinn Fein minister’s predecessor about updating Northern Ireland’s road rules in 2022.
“Cynics might suggest this represents petty political inaction by Sinn Fein ministers on bringing us into line with the version of the Highway Code used in the rest of the United Kingdom,” he told the News Letter.
“I appreciate that road safety issues are devolved and that some minor legislation might be required to facilitate an update in the Northern Ireland Highway Code.
“However, the assembly has hardly been overwhelmed with executive-led legislation in the current mandate. If the changes had been made, it would have represented evidence that the executive, and the Department for Infrastructure in particular, do actually deliver on creating legislation.”
Among the changes introduced in England, Scotland and Wales four years ago are a new “hierarchy of road users” in which those most at risk if a collision should happen take priority.
It means motorists have to look out for the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, while cyclists are to prioritise the safety of people on foot. For example, all road users must give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings, and only pedestrians have the right to be on footpaths.
Meanwhile drivers and cyclists should stop for any pedestrians waiting to cross at a junction, while motorists must overtake people on horseback at slow speeds while
Anyone getting out of a cars should employ a method called the ‘Dutch reach’, where they use their opposite hand to open their door. This forces them to turn their heads, checking for passing cyclists or pedestrians.