Cycle casualties are falling, but not fast enough says CTC

New statistics have revealed that cyclists are now less likely to be killed on the road, but the CTC said the figure wasn’t falling quickly enough.

Cycle use in 2010 was five billion kms according to Department for Transport statistics, a slight rise of 0.5 per cent over 2009, but still the highest in 20 years. The severe winter months are thought to have curbed a higher rise in cycling. In 2010, the likelihood of being killed while cycling was 54 per cent lower than in 1990.

Transport for London statistics have revealed an upturn in cycling of 15 per cent in 2010. Injuries in the capital rose nine per cent, but nevertheless are 18 per cent lower than in the mid 1990s.

“Despite months of ice and snow in 2010, cycling is still growing,” said the CTC’s campaigns director Roger Geffen.

“However, casualties remain high, and there are many areas where Britain is falling farther behind our European counterparts in providing for cycling. We still have only a tiny fraction of our residential streets covered by 20mph while hostile roads, bad driving, and weak law enforcement remain serious barriers to getting more people cycling.”