With 16 deaths on the capital’s roads last year and injuries also on the rise, where is London going wrong on cyclist safety? What more needs to be done to make Londoners safer on their bikes? And what could the capital learn from cities with good cycling records?
The London Assembly Transport Committee has recently launched an investigation aimed at drawing together issues around cycling in the capital, assessing how effectively improvements are being delivered, and identifying further solutions.
The numbers of cyclists killed or seriously injured in the capital have failed to fall in line with Transport for London’s (TfL) targets, and have actually increased in the past two years. Renewed calls on the Mayor and TfL to take further action to improve cycling safety have resulted in a TfL review of 500 junctions, prioritising improvements at Bow Roundabout, where two cyclists were killed on Cycle Superhighway 2.
At the moment, concern about safety is the reason most often given by non-cyclists to explain why they do not intend to take up cycling, yet the Mayor wants to see the number of Londoners cycling grow by 400 per cent in little over a decade.
Caroline, who is Chair of the Transport Committee, said:
“We cannot have a situation where more people are being encouraged to cycle at the same time as more cyclists are being killed or injured.
“We intend to sit down with cyclists and hear their concerns before working with experts both here and internationally to identify solutions that will make London’s streets a safer bet for cyclists.”
The terms of reference for the investigation are:
- To understand the issues facing current cyclists and the barriers to potential cyclists;
- To examine the plans proposed by the Mayor and TfL to improve cycling safety and increase cycling modal share above its current 2% of journeys in London, towards 5% by 2026; and
- To generate recommendations to the Mayor and TfL to improve the cycling environment and cycle safety in London.
The Committee will hold two public meetings as part of its investigation. On 12 July Members will look at the challenges and barriers, including an ‘open-mic’ session about concerns and potential solutions with cyclists and other stakeholders. This will be followed by a meeting on 11 September 2012 with international experts and representatives of the Mayor and TfL.
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