Motorway cyclist arrested for suspected possession of Class A drugs

A cyclist was forced onto the verge by police after riding in lane two of the M3 motorway, in Hampshire (UK), on Saturday morning.

Hampshire Roads Policing Unit was called following reports of a rider in the second lane of the motorway, shortly after 5am BST. 

The policing unit tweeted that the rider "did not want to stop for us, continued into Lane 3," they added that the cyclist "eventually had to be forced onto the verge area where the rider was detained."

The incident took place at Junction 13 of the motorway, near Eastleigh, and the policing unit confirmed that the rider had been "arrested for causing danger to road users and suspected possession of a class A substance."

The Highway Code forbids cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles such as motorbikes with engines under 50cc from using the motorway (Rule 253). 

However, it's far from the first time a cyclist has been spotted on the motorway. 

In March 2020, a cyclist was spotted riding on the M60, by officers from Greater Manchester Police. The incident took place during the Covid lockdown, and police issued a fine, adding: “this does not constitute your daily exercise.”

That same year, in January, another rider was seen on the M25, pedalling between Reigate and Leatherhead in Surrey. In that case, Highways England put up a message on the overhead electronic signs, warning road users and instructing them to reduce their speed to 50mph. However, the cyclist could not be located by police.

Perhaps the most famous such incident involved four athletes from the Sri Lankan Commonwealth Games squad, who were stopped in 2014 as they carried out a training ride on the M47 in Scotland. 

Days later, the Bahamas team found themselves in a similar position, training for the Commonwealth Games road race on the M80, near Glasgow.