Safety
Cycling in London is sometimes perceived as unsafe so the London Cycling Campaign and Transport for London issued guidance to minimise the risks.
A study of deaths of cyclists in London published in 2010 stated that "the biggest threat remains freight vehicles, involved in more than 4 out of 10 incidents, with over half turning left at the time of the crash." The London Cycling Campaign and others strongly recommend that cyclists should never undertake a lorry, especially in front of red lights.
Between 1986 and 2011, 439 cyclists were killed in traffic accidents in Greater London. The annual number of deaths varies considerably, for example, in 2004 only 8 cyclists died whilst one year later the number rose to 21. The worst year was 1989 with 33 fatalities. According to Andrei Morgan et al. (2010) "the number of cyclists killed in London remains small, meaning that even if trends were present, they may not have been detected."
The absolute number of deaths can be compared to the number of cycles on the road. The absolute number of bike journeys in London has roughly doubled since the 1990s, from 300,000 daily journeys in 1993 to 500,000 in 2007.
Andrei Morgan et al. (2010) estimate a "death rate per 100,000 cyclists per kilometre per year". This number came down significantly in recent years: In 2006 it was 11.1, while the average between 1992 and 1999 was 15.5. Morgan et al. estimate that this figure declined by 2.7% per year.
A map showing all cycling fatalities in Greater London since 2006 is available on the internet, as well as a spreadsheet containing publicly available information about the crashes.
Read more about this topic: Cycling In London
Famous quotes containing the word safety:
“The Declaration [of Independence] was not a protest against government, but against the excess of government. It prescribed the proper role of government, to secure the rights of individuals and to effect their safety and happiness. In modern society, no individual can do this alone. So government is not a necessary evil but a necessary good.”
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)
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—Lewis P. Lipsitt (20th century)
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—Stephen Vizinczey (b. 1933)