Cyclists stopped by police for doing nearly 40mph in a 30mph limit area

A group of cyclists riding on Dartmoor, in Devon, in the south of England yesterday were pulled over by police and spoken to after being spotted riding at upwards of 37 miles per hour in an area where the speed limit was restricted to 30 mph.

This comes despite the fact that the majority of UK speed limits on the roads apply to motorists and not cyclists. Exceptions do apply in some places, such as parks.

Devon and Cornwall Police explained on X, formally known as Twitter, that the group were asked to “be mindful” of their speed and to consider how it may affect them in the event of a collision on the road.

The police also shared a video clip that showed the group descending at speed into a village in the region with a 30 mph speed limit for vehicles.

The footage shows the following car recording speeds of 39 mph, which equates to 62 kmph. 

"Cyclists, please be mindful of your speeds and just how this will effect you in the event of a collision," Devon and Cornwall Police said. "This group today on Dartmoor observed travelling at near 40mph on a 30 mph restricted road. All stopped and offered appropriate words of advice."

Cyclists cannot be fined for speeding - like those driving motor vehicles can - due to speed limits set out in the Highway Code not applying to bicycles.

Nevertheless, under the 1988 Road Traffic Act Section 28 cyclists can instead be charged with dangerous cycling.

The act states an offence is committed if a cyclist is caught riding in a way which is "below what would be expected of a competent and careful cyclist" and it "would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist that riding in that way would be dangerous.”

In this case, dangerous refers to danger either of injury to any other person using the road or damage to someone’s property.

Cyclists can also be charged with ‘furious cycling’ if they cause an injury in the event of a crash.