Will London ever be a safe place to use a bicycle?

 

Having seen firsthand how a major city like Copenhagen has managed to make its busy city bicycle friendly, it’s disappointing to see that the Department for Transport (DfT) has published figures showing London is nowhere near that stage.  In the last five years figures show that there were 22,988 accidents and 80 deaths involving cyclists and those are only the accidents that were reported and in a specific area of London. 

 

In stark contrast, a cyclist in Copenhagen will now on average cycle 4.4 million kilometres (2.7 million miles) before being involved in a serious accident and the Danish government expect to see the amount of commuters cycling to work increase by 50% in 2015. 

 

Responding to the figures, Transport of London have said that it is “one accident too many” and revealed plans to invest £1 billion in upgrading the existing “Cycle Superhighways”.  The London Mayor’s Office have also stated they plan to invest £4 billion in London’s roads and this will include more cycle lanes. 

 

Serious cycling injuries and fatalities 

 

Will this be enough to ensure cyclists’ safety or is London just too busy and too big to safely use a bicycle?  Cyclists are often the most vulnerable users of the road and when involved in an accident with a car or a bus, it is not hard to imagine the catastrophic consequences including severe or fatal injuries.  More needs to be done, not just in London but nationwide, to ensure that cyclists are safer when using the road.  Not only is cycling great for our health, it is great for the environment and reducing carbon emissions. 

 

No win no fee cycling accident claims solicitors – Liverpool, Manchester and Cheshire 

 

Here at DSM Legal, we have represented cyclists who have been involved in accidents that were not their fault and we can help you to claim compensation on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. 

 

More information can be found on our webpage at Cycle Accident Claims and Road Traffic Accidents. 

 

For more information on the London cycling accident figures, visit the BBC at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31612253