A number of drivers were spoken to in Arbroath on Wednesday as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Close Pass.
Designed to cut the risks of cycling, the operation is run by police across Scotland as a driver education programme.
The programme was deployed in Arbroath on Tuesday, where Tayside Police division said the majority of drivers obeyed the rules.
Undercover police officers ride on bikes before indicating to other officers if any drivers overtake too closely.
Drivers are then stopped by marked police vehicles, with officers educating them on the two metre safe distance to pass a cyclist.
In Arbroath, a mat was used to demonstrate the safe passing distance to drivers who were flagged by undercover cyclists.
‘We can’t be complacent’
Inspector Greg Burns, Tayside RPU, said: “It was a good day for Operation Close Pass in Arbroath yesterday, and very pleasing to see that the overwhelming majority of drivers passing our cyclist did so properly.
“We had some fantastic engagement with both drivers and cyclists regarding road safety.
“However, we can’t be complacent, and I would urge all road users to continue to be mindful of all other road users – cyclists, drivers, horses, everyone – give them space, and always drive according to the conditions of the road and the weather to ensure everyone gets where they’re going to safely.”
Drivers caught passing too closely to a cyclist risk three penalty points on their licence and a £100 fine.
More serious offences could result in a conviction.
It comes after a survey last year found six in ten cyclists thought bike routes weren’t good enough.
The Pandemic Pedal Power survey, commissioned by The Courier as part of a series examining how transport could change for the better post-lockdown, found 62% of those surveyed rate their local bike-friendly routes as either “poor” or “very poor”.
