Worst cycling blackspots show need for crackdown on accidents
The Times and Esri UK have published interactive maps showing the worst cycling blackspots in the UK. These include the 8 most notorious junctions in the UK for cycling accidents.
Of the top 8 blackspots, 6 are located in London, with the remaining two blackspots located in Devon and Cambridge. The worst blackspot is located in Stratford, London, at the junction of Warton Road and the A118, where 8 accidents occurred in 2014, and another two accidents recorded close by. This is in spite of the presence of a segregated cycle superhighway, which for some reason stops at the junction, thus exposing cyclists to heavy traffic in a critical area.
This follows the statistics published by the Department for Transport showing that 21,287 cyclists were injured using Britain's roads last year, an increase of 9.5%, with an 8.2% rise in the number of serious injuries for cyclists. The rise is partly explained by the increasing use of bikes in the UK over the last decade.
Jennifer Buchanan, a keen cyclist and solicitor with Fieldfisher says: "These statistics show a worrying trend for cyclists involved in accidents, and it is important that the Government sits up and does something to counteract this. More and more people are turning to cycling to get to work and also for pleasure, but they are not getting the protection they require on the road, leading to an increase in accidents and injuries to cyclists, so it is becoming imperative that action is taken to sort out the design of the junctions where these blackspots are located so that there is more substantial protection from traffic for cyclists."
This follows the statistics published by the Department for Transport showing that 21,287 cyclists were injured using Britain's roads last year, an increase of 9.5%, with an 8.2% rise in the number of serious injuries for cyclists. The rise is partly explained by the increasing use of bikes in the UK over the last decade.
Jennifer Buchanan, a keen cyclist and solicitor with Fieldfisher says: "These statistics show a worrying trend for cyclists involved in accidents, and it is important that the Government sits up and does something to counteract this. More and more people are turning to cycling to get to work and also for pleasure, but they are not getting the protection they require on the road, leading to an increase in accidents and injuries to cyclists, so it is becoming imperative that action is taken to sort out the design of the junctions where these blackspots are located so that there is more substantial protection from traffic for cyclists."