Distance Makes the Difference

Photo courtesy of Tasmania Department of State Growth

Giving someone physical space doesn’t mean you’re a prude, it means you understand social consideration. You wouldn’t rest and arm on your buddy’s shoulder while you’re both at the urinal, so why would you crowd a cyclist while passing on a street (hopefully on a straight road with a safe break in traffic).

The Tasmanian Department of State Growth raised this question (or variations of it, if we’re being honest), and addressed the issue  last week with a  humorous short commercial.

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Forget emphasis on poor depth perception, forget crash statistics; the “Distance Makes the Difference” video compares not giving cyclists proper passing distance to a number of other space-related social faux pas – going in for the cheek kiss while your business colleague goes for the more appropriate handshake, or standing unnervingly close to somebody taking money out of the ATM. These distances are, for most people, intuitive, so why does safe passing distance remain so stubbornly contentious?

If you opt to drive instead of taking the bus, give that cyclist on the road some space. It’s not just a social imperative, it’s the right thing to do. And in case you have any questions about how much space is enough space, we’ll direct you to the video below. The two guys at the urinal have 2.1 M (83 inches) between them, a very respectable distance, if you ask us.