Captain Jonathan Allen was cycling in poor weather when he swerved to avoid rain-filled potholes. In doing so he collided with a lorry that was overtaking him, and was killed.

An inquest this week confirmed that the damaged road surface and numerous potholes along that section of the A338 had in fact already been reported to the local authority, but were considered 'not a priority'.

When the council inspected the defective road it considered that it didn't meet the criteria for immediate repair. Within two days of Capt Allen's death, the section of road had been resurfaced.

This is a tragedy that could have been avoided.

Not reported at the time, it has since emerged that the section of the A338 in question has a solid double white line separating the two carriageways, prohibiting overtaking.

Cyclists have reacted by again raising issue about how well respected they are by other motorists, as well as road and infrastructure planners.

Not only was this section of road unfit for use, particularly by cyclists who are legitimate road users yet have no special dispensation when it comes to defective road surfaces, but the lorry driver shouldn't have been overtaking the cyclist at all.

Furthermore, even if the solid double white lines hadn't been there, the Highway Code suggests that a passing vehicle should give a cyclist as much room as if they were passing a car. It's claimed that had this been the case, this tragic incident could have been avoided.

Free advice sheets can be found below:

• Guide for motorists about sharing roads with cyclists
• Guide on duties owed by local highway authorities

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