Government urged to lead on cyclist security

MPs are calling for the government to take a stronger lead on road security and put forward more funds to fund the long-term development of cycling infrastructure to support bring down the number of cyclists killed and injured on Britain’s roads.

Last year 109 cyclists had been killed and a additional 3,143 had been seriously injured in road accidents across England, Scotland and Wales. A report released these days by the Transport Committee has outlined a number of measures it believes the government ought to take to make roads safer and get more folks cycling.

Cycling no far more unsafe than walking

In 2010, the government’s Active Travel Approach suggested there was no inherent risk in cycling and highlighted the truth that, on typical, one particular cyclist was killed in every 33million kilometres cycled.

This theory that was backed up in 2012 by the Division for Transport which argued that, per mile travelled, a cyclist in Great Britain was no more most likely to be killed than a pedestrian.

Which is all extremely properly but of no comfort whatsoever to the family members of any cyclist who has been killed on their daily commute or whilst engaging in their hobby.

And regardless of what the figures tell us, as items stand the roads of Great Britain are an unforgiving spot for cyclists – junctions are poorly designed, highways are narrow, cycle lanes unsegregated and bike riders are continually at the of mercy potholes and aggressive drivers.

2020 vision

To address the initial of these troubles, the Transport Committee wants to see government spending on the extended-term improvement of cycling infrastructure and instruction raised from its present level of £2 per head to £10 per head by 2020.

MPs say new road styles require to think about cycling from the earliest stages and treat cycling as a valid mode of transport instead of as an afterthought.

They want neighborhood authorities to perform with cyclists and nearby residents to create techniques to make roads safer rather of adopting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy across all of Britain’s towns, villages and cities.

There is a broadening consensus that cash alone will not resolve the dilemma. To bring accident prices down although simultaneously obtaining a lot more people on their bikes, there also has to be a adjust in attitude to cyclists and cycling.

Cultural gear shift

The report acknowledges that investing in infrastructure will make the roads safer and must encourage more folks to cycle and stroll, but suggests that any changes in Britain’s road ne2rk needs to function in tandem with measures to market a mutual respect between drivers and cyclists.

One attainable way of doing this is by reciprocal education for cyclists and drivers, such the Exchanging  Areas scheme, which has given about 10,000 cyclists the opportunity to sit in the cab of an HGV to understand the driver’s view of the road and understand the location of the cab’s blind spots.

The report also suggests an amendment to the Highway Code to market cycle security and the rights of cyclists to share the road with drivers, and wants this to be reinforced by modifications to the driving test so that it assesses drivers on their method to sharing the road with cyclists.

Greater coaching

Further suggestions contain cycle training for all cyclists, inclusive of main and secondary college young children, adults looking to obtain self-assurance and any person searching to refresh their road skills, and that measures must be taken to make it less costly and simpler for regional authorities to introduce 20mph zones in higher-threat areas.

The all round feeling of the report is that a combination of extra funding and a cultural modify across government is needed, so that all departments operate together to fund and facilitate support for cycling.

Louise Ellman, chair of the Transport Pick Committee, stated: “Transport ministers should demonstrate clear political leadership by championing cycling, and the Department for Transport should coordinate action across government on this essential agenda.”

Government urged to lead on cyclist security