In recognition of the environmental advantages of the bicycle over the car, the Parliamentary Yearbook will be covering the cycling revolution as part of a major environmental feature in the next edition. But are the benefits outweighed by the dangers?

Cycling in the capital is on the up, but the Mayor wants to go further to really make a difference to how Londoners get about their city. The Mayor is working with TfL to deliver a 400 per cent increase in cycling by 2026, compared to 2001 levels, while making two wheeled transport safer, more attractive, and more convenient.

However, Pedal cyclist injuries rose 50 per cent in London from 2958 to 4497 between 2006 and 2011 (all roads). While the number of cycling journeys taken rose only 16 per cent over the same period, the number of injuries rose at nearly double this rate.

As the number of cycling injuries on London’s roads has risen, a new report] – Gearing Up – by the London Assembly has recommended both doubling funding for cycling and targets for the number of journeys made by bike.

Published during National Road Safety Week, the report calls on Mayor Boris Johnson to respond to falling cycle safety by prioritizing ways to encourage more people on to bikes and reduce serious cycling incidents on London’s roads.

The Assembly’s recommendations to the Mayor, Transport for London (TfL) and the Government include:

o doubling funding] for cycling in TfL’s transport budget
o timetabling an action plan for the east-west cycle ‘super corridor’
o appointing a commissioner to champion cycling
o more space on London's roads for cyclists, including using the experience of Games Lanes during London 2012
o developing a plan to ensure all children in London receive cycle training

Gearing Up shows while cycle safety London has improved overall since 2001, injuries have been on the increase since 2006. Evidence collected by the Assembly cited safety as the main reason why Londoners wouldn’t take up cycling in the capital.

The London Assembly’s Transport Committee also urges the Mayor to make his pledge to create a ‘cycling revolution’ more ambitious. The report calls for him to double his target of having 5 per cent of journeys made by bike by 2026 to ten per cent following its analysis of current trends in London and other European cities. Copenhagen, for example, has set a target of 50 per cent of journeys to be made by bike by 2015.

The investigation showed that as cycling participation increased in other European cities, the safety of cyclists improved. But in London, rising cycle numbers do not appear to be having the same positive impact. The report also calls on the Mayor to encourage more participation as currently only 7 per cent of suitable journeys are made by bike.

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Chair of the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, said:

“Following a strong interest in cycling during the 2012 Games, it’s of great concern that cycle safety in London is now showing a decline in real terms. We are calling on the Mayor to act quickly to back up the warm words that make up his vision for cycling with real substance that has an impact on boosting safe cycling in London.

“Our report shows measures such as doubling cycling funding, making more space on our roads for cyclists and improving junction design, and trialing creative ideas to improve safety could all play a part in encouraging more journeys in London to be made by bike. A more ambitious vision backed by real political will and safer conditions could help London reach the high levels of cycling seen in other European capitals.”

Evidence from other countries indicates that higher cycling rates have led to fewer casualties. The Dutch Cycling Embassy says that as cycling increased in the Netherlands in the 1970s and 1980s, cycling fatalities dropped. In Copenhagen, as cycling grew by 50 per cent between 1995 and 2010, the risk of cycle casualties reduced four-fold in the same period. TfL’s evidence suggested that cycling casualty increases in 2011 should be seen in the context of an increase in the number of cyclists. However, the safety in numbers effect in London has not prevented an increase in the cycling casualty rate between 2007 and 2010.

The Parliamentary Yearbook will continue to report on this and other environmental issues and their impact on our lives as we go through the months ahead.

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbookinformationoffice.co.uk
Email: [email protected]