Cyclists

It’s official. There are now 13 million cyclists in the UK. They range from young children getting early experience of dealing with traffic to the elderly who have been doing it for years. There are a lot of cycling enthusiasts these days too. Success at recent Olympics has certainly put cycling on the map. There are of course cash-strapped students and those influenced by environmental issues (carbon emissions). The ever-increasing numbers does inevitably mean more conflict with motorists and of course it is the cyclist who comes off worst.

The most recent figures show road fatalities have dropped in the UK to below 2,000 for the first time since records began way back in 1926, to 1857 in 2010. At the same time a rise of 7% in cyclist fatalities was recorded. Seriously injured cyclists rose by 2% to 2660. Motor vehicle traffic fell by 2% due to the economic downturn and the harsh winter had its part to play in the overall figures, so the rise in cyclist casualties does stand out as going against the other figures produced. Increased cyclist numbers does of course have a bearing.

Cyclists are not the most popular road users and they bring it on themselves by flouting the rules of the road. One shouldn’t generalise but there are too many cyclists who don’t think red lights, one-way streets and the rules for pedestrian crossings apply to them. How often do you see a cyclist at night with little or no adequate lighting? They don’t need a license, appear unaccountable and contribute nothing to the upkeep of our road system. The police seem to pay little heed to their disregard for the law.

The car driver sits stuck in a queue as the cyclist weaves his way in, out and around cars, buses and lorries with impunity until they are not seen and come crashing down to an abrupt halt – and who has to prove their innocence – why, the motorist of course! How often does it reach the headlines when a cyclist trying to squeeze past the nearside of a lorry is crushed to death against iron railings or some other restriction?

“Think bike” aimed primarily to protect motorcyclists must also be applied to pushbikes and I believe it has to be the responsibility of the cyclist to be aware they are not easily seen. Reflective clothing, adequate lighting at night and an acceptance of their vulnerability might help to reduce the number of dead and injured on our roads.