Pudsey cyclist attaches eye-catching sign to bike asking drivers in Leeds to keep their distance

Tim Devereux, 75, attached the eye-catching poster to the back of his bike on January 1. It announces in bold lettering: “Don’t drive so close to me!”

And despite some close passes, he claimed the sign has brought out a politer side of drivers in Leeds.

“I’ve ridden 120km so far this month, generally for short trips like shopping and errands,” explained Tim, a retired maths teacher.

“I was optimistic after a ride in the first week of January – two vehicles hung back for ages before overtaking nicely. Maybe the sign had an effect.

“Yes, there have been some close passes, but only one merited a blast of my very loud horn. These have been far outnumbered by instances of driver courtesy.”

Those courteous moments included a lorry waiting behind Tim for a couple of hundred yards as he cycled up Swinnow Road and buses waiting for him to turn rather than overtaking.

He added: “In our busy, hurried lives, we need to make the effort to see other road users not as obstacles in our paths, but as human beings – mothers, fathers, daughters, sons.

“On February 1, I will take the posters off my bikes. I don’t expect to be the wrong end of loads of close passes, but I do have a very loud horn, and I'm saving up for a bike camera.”

When Tim embarked on the campaign, he said there was some hostility on social media. But fortunately, this was not reflected on the roads.

His efforts came as part of the More Than a Cyclist initiative, that aims to make cycling safer by reminding road users that cyclists are people too.

Those behind the initiative said research has showed that “many car drivers perceive people who ride bikes as less than human”.

Tim was also keen to promote rule 163 of the Highway Code, which instructs drivers to overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so.

The passionate cyclist has previously embarked on mammoth charity events – including a 249 mile ride from Leeds to Glasgow on a tricycle to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.