Survey results: the truth about bikes in London

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  • The average London cyclist has had his or her bike nicked

    0.9

    times. The unluckiest rider has had theirs pinched

    8

    times. One cyclist says, ‘There aren't enough places to lock up your bike! Especially in the West End. There've been loads more cyclists on the streets since last year.’ The City of London police say that cyclists make up

    40%

    of their road casualties, despite making up only

    10%

    of road users. (City Police)A whopping

    26%

    of cyclists say that they’ve been stopped by the police at least once – mostly for jumping lights, but also for riding on the pavements and being drunk in charge of a bike. One rider was stopped for ‘cycling in a laboured way’.

    60%

    of adult cyclists in London are male,

    40%

    female. Of the cyclists involved in accidents in the first nine months of 2005, almost

    80%

    were male.Between January and September 2005, cyclists accounted for

    9%

    of London’s road casualties,

    10%

    of all serious injuries and

    11%

    of all fatalities. Pedestrians and car occupants represented

    19%

    and

    46%

    of all casualties, respectively. The borough with highest number of recorded cycling casualties between January and September 2005 was Westminister, with

    193

    accidents (also the most dangerous place for pedestrians, with

    423

    incidents). The safest borough is Greenwich, with just

    44

    reported accidents. Our poll was split on who cyclists think are the worst road-users:

    25%

    say white vans, and

    20%

    say 4x4s. Of the

    4,372

    pedestrians involved in accidents in London between January and September last year,

    67.8

    %

    were injured by cars,

    3.3%

    by taxis,

    9.2%

    by buses or coaches,

    9%

    by mopeds or motorbikes – and

    1.2%

    by bicycles.

    One respondant thinks we should ‘make 'at least 1 bike trip through central London during rush-hour an obligatory requirement for everyone holding or aspiring to a Drivers Licence’.

    67%

    of cyclists have argued with a driver and

    69%

    with a pedestrian. One of the most popular suggestions for improving London for riders is to make it a serious offence to obstruct a cycle lane.

    82%

    of people in our poll believe that there are not enough cycle lanes in he capital.

    56%

    of cyclists tell us they sometimes head the wrong way down a one-way street.

    A dubious

    41%

    claim that they never, ever ride on the pavement, while the more honest remainder admit that they do occasionally. Thankfully, nobody said that they always do.

    Your suggestions for how to improve cycling in London include: ‘legalise safe left turns on red lights’, ‘banish cycle lanes and remove railings and segregation from traffic – it encourages more speed’, ‘make residential areas 20 miles per hour to encourage people to cycle on shorter journeys’, and ‘Jeremy Clarkson to be unable to drive for the rest of his natural life’.

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