LCC survey says roads are too dangerous for young cyclists

A new survey by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) released today shows that parents think London’s roads are far too dangerous for children to cycle.

The LCC’s survey shows that 69% of respondents who have children in their household think that their own area of London is ‘dangerous’ or ‘very dangerous’ for children to cycle. Of those people, 71% commute to work by bike regularly, but only 23% of them cycle frequently with their children in London. Only 6% of respondents said that cycling in London was ‘very safe’ for children.

Parent Corin, 41 from Lewisham said: “There is virtually nowhere in the borough where my daughter can cycle on protected cycle paths and I will not let her ride on the road. When she was younger she went in a baby seat on my bike, but I had too many bad experiences with dangerous and aggressive drivers to use that much as a transport option so we tended to take the bus instead."

In response, the LCC is launching ‘Sign for Cycling’, a campaign aimed at ensuring all the London Mayoral candidates commit to making cycling safer for everyone. Candidates are being asked to commit to the following three point agenda:

1) Create more safe space for cycling by building more segregated cycle lanes on London’s main roads and making dangerous junctions safer.

2) Encourage more local journeys by bike by offering ‘Mini -Holland’ funding to every London borough in order to transform high streets and town centres.

3) End lorry danger, by ensuring only the safest lorries, with ‘Direct Vision’ cabs and minimal ‘blind spots’, are allowed onto London’s streets.

Amy Summers, Campaigns Coordinator at the London Cycling Campaign said: “Hearing what the children of London say is a stark reminder of the sad fact that London is effectively denying cycling to the next generation, by not providing enough safe space for cycling. It’s not just parents who won’t let their children cycle out of fear for their safety, children themselves consider London’s roads are far too dangerous for them to cycle on."