I was fined £1.8k for ‘passing a cyclist too closely’ but I left LOADS of room

A BUSINESSMAN who was penalised for passing a cyclist too closely has hit out at his “appalling” driving fine, claiming he left loads of room.

Wayne Humphreys, 77, was made to pay £1,887 and given four points on his licence for failing to leave enough space in his Audi Q8.

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The cyclist recorded the close pass on a GoPro camera and reported the incident to roads policing teams.

GoSafe received footage of the white Audi overtaking a cyclist on Pant Hirwaun, Bridgend, on Wednesday, 15th September 2021 and deemed Mr Humphreys did not leave enough space.

The warehouse boss was contacted over the manoeuvre but refused to accept his wrongdoing by skipping his course and refusing to pay a fixed penalty notice.

He was then prosecuted at Cardiff Magistrates Court for driving without due care and attention.

Mr Humphreys was given four penalty points and ordered to pay £1,887 in a fine and costs.

He said: “I think the fine is absolutely appalling. I am 77 years of age and the last fine I had was 35 to 40 years ago for doing 34 miles per hour in a 30 zone.

“Other than that I have never had a fine and I have had a licence for 60 years.”

Mr Humphreys said he and his son measured the road in question in Bridgend, South Wales, and estimated the gap he left for the cyclist was sufficient and safe.

He said: “Taking into account the cyclist and his bike there would have still been at least four foot space.

“I find it absolutely incredible this has happened. I don’t know whether to appeal it or not. It will probably just cost me more money.

“This has already cost me about £4,500 with the money for the court and the solicitor. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

‘FAILED TO COMPLY’

A GoSafe spokesman said: “The driver, Wayne Humphreys, from Pontyclun, was contacted and offered a course.

“The ‘What’s Driving Us’ course is offered to drivers/riders as an alternative to prosecution for the offence of driving without due care and attention.

“Mr Humphreys failed to accept this course and later failed to comply with a fixed penalty notice.

“This resulted in him appearing in Cardiff Magistrates Court on 8th June 2022. He was found guilty of driving without due care and attention.

“He received 4 penalty points on his license, given a £1152 fine, £620 costs, and a £115 victim surcharge.

“GoSafe regularly receives similar submissions through Op Snap and has worked closely with drivers and cycling groups to develop Operation Close Pass, which looks to educate both drivers and cyclists on how to stay safe on our roads.

“This includes promoting one of the fundamental things to remember when overtaking a cyclist, to reduce your speed and always leave 1.5 metres between your vehicle and a cyclist, whenever safe to do so.

“Despite this, unfortunately, GoSafe continues to receive regular Op Snap submissions relating to close pass incidents.

“This outcome shows that these submissions are taken seriously and given the appropriate amount of attention, as we continue to work towards ensuring that our roads are safer for everyone.

“If you have information on close pass incident or other possible road traffic offence, you can submit the details, along with supporting footage, to GoSafe using Operation SNAP”.

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