30 Mar, 2025 - 3 weeks ago - on Ayr Road

🚨 Close Pass Incident – Sunday 30th March, 2:00 PM – A77 Ayr Road

Location: A77 Ayr Road
Time: 2:00 PM
Vehicle: Blue Land Rover Reg V90 AGH (Revenue Weight: 3,170 kg)
Conditions: Cyclist overtaking broken-down lorry and rescue vehicle
Speed Limit: 30mph
Incident: Close pass at speed – No attempt to slow down

This past Sunday, while overtaking a broken-down lorry and rescue vehicle on the A77, I was close-passed by a Blue Land Rover—a heavy vehicle weighing over 3 tonnes. Despite the road being restricted to 30mph, the driver made no attempt to reduce speed and passed extremely close, forcing me to hold a tight line while navigating the obstruction.

This was not a momentary lapse—it was a deliberate failure to prioritise safety, constituting careless driving under the Road Traffic Act. A driver of a vehicle of that size, passing at that speed, should know better. He put me in immediate danger, without consequence.

⚖️ But here’s the reality in Scotland:
Despite having clear helmet cam footage and a factual account, this is unlikely to lead to prosecution under current Scots law. Why?

🔴 Corroboration requirement: A uniquely Scottish rule requires two independent sources of evidence for a conviction. A cyclist’s camera and their own statement? Not enough.

⚫ No presumption of fault or automatic offence for close passes – unlike in some European countries where proximity violations are punishable by law.

🔵 No video reporting system exists in Scotland for traffic offences, even though other UK regions are successfully using these tools to enforce safer driving.

🕯 Remembering Emma Burke Newman
In 2023, Emma Burke Newman, a 22-year-old architecture student, was killed in Glasgow after being encroached upon in a bike box by a tipper truck. Her death sparked outrage, calls for change, and public mourning. Yet here we are—still waiting for reform, still watching the same risks play out on our roads.

🚴‍♂️ What Needs to Change:
Legal reform of corroboration: High-quality video evidence must be admissible on its own for traffic offences.

Mandate a national video reporting portal: Like in England and Wales, so drivers can be held accountable for dangerous behaviour captured on film.

Make safe passing distances the law: 1.5m under 30mph, 2.0m at higher speeds—clear, enforceable, unavoidable.

Training for Police Scotland and prosecutors: So cases like this aren’t dismissed before they reach a courtroom.

Stronger penalties for careless driving: Especially for repeat offenders and heavy vehicle drivers.

✊ What Can You Do?
📩 Share your own Upride reports.
📝 Contact your MSP—demand legal reform.
📣 Keep Emma’s name alive.
🚴 Protect the next cyclist. Don’t wait until it's someone you know.

#ClosePass #CyclingSafety #EmmaBurkeNewman #Upride #JusticeForCyclists #SafePassingLaw #ChangeScotsLaw #PoliceScotland #ActiveTravel #VisionZero #ScotlandCanDoBetter

Incident location

Incident details

Date of incident

30/03/2025 02:00PM

Incident type

Close pass/Bad driving

Location of incident

Ayr Road, Newton Mearns, Glasgow, G77 6QR, United Kingdom