Road Safety MPs Berate Cyclists

Some MPs on the Public Accounts Committee have responded to May's National Audit Office's report on road safety by condemning what they see as the irresponsible behaviour of cyclists.  The Department for Transport responded by saying that anti-social cyclists represent only a small number of total cyclists.

Most vocal among those complaining about cyclists was Conservative MP David Curry. Curry complained of cyclists riding "like bats out of hell," claiming to have been knocked down by a cyclist outside the House of Commons and talking about "batallions" of cyclists travelling on the roads near his countryside home.  Answering these questions was Richard Devereux, the top civil servant at the Department for Transport.  He pointed out that irresponsible road use is exhibited by road users regardless of their chosen vehicle.

On an average day, two pedestrians are killed by motor vehicles in the UK.  Only two pedestrian per year are killed by bicycles, almost always on the road.

The NAO report, Improving Road Safety For Pedestrians And Cyclists, stated that during 2007 more than 30,000 pedestrians and 16,000 cyclists were injured, while 646 and 136 respectively were killed on Britain's roads. It concluded that speed is an overwhelming factor in the incidence and severity of injuries to pedestrians and cyclists and that child pedestrians from the most deprived areas remain four times more likely to be killed or injured on the roads than those from the least deprived areas. 

This story appears in issue seven of Cyclenation News which went online today. 

Also In Issue 7...

• Lord Adonis has called cycling "the greenest form of travel"
• Cardiff's new cycle hire scheme - with purpose made bikes
• The academic research showing that cycle lanes on fast roads increase cyclists' vulnerability by encouraging close passing
• Surrey's offer to pay for cycle parking and showers at work places
• New rules making it easier for council to create contra-flow lanes

Read it at http://www.cyclenation.org.uk/news/news103.pdf

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Cyclenation is the UK federation of cycle campaign groups.  Visit www.cyclenation.org.uk to read all the cycle campaign news and learn about Cyclenation's work.