Ghost bike at Scottish Parliament

[Pat "5mph"]

Magnatom's latest blog entry

How sad

Yes there might be more cyclists on the road, but that is the point! The government is acting in a totally irresponsible manner by trying to encourage more people to cycle and not making sure the environment is safe to do so. Should we be surprised that more cyclists are now being killed?[\quote]

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

4 cyclists killed in 2009.
7 cyclists killed in 2010.
7 cyclists killed in 2011.
9 cyclists killed in 2012.
9 cyclists killed in 2013.

Progress?

 

[vernon]

4 cyclists killed in 2009.
7 cyclists killed in 2010.
7 cyclists killed in 2011.
9 cyclists killed in 2012.
9 cyclists killed in 2013.

Progress?

More inexperienced cyclists?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

More inexperienced cyclists?

Undoubtedly a factor, but that's still 36 cyclists who will never gain any more experience.

 

[MarkF]

I think the figures are low considering the below which does not include even general cycling increase, hopefully they won't increase too much in 2013.

• 133% growth in Scottish Cycling’s membership since 2009
• 73% increase in the number of organised mass participation sportive events since 2009
• 34% increase in racing licencing holders since 2009
• 23% increase in the number of competitive events since 2009

I don't like ghost bikes either.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I think the figures are low considering the below which does not include even general cycling increase, hopefully they won't increase too much in 2013.

They are probably low for England, remember the population here is much sparser.
Can't help notice the deaths out of town: you think you are safer on rural country roads, this is not always the case as cars seem to speed up and visibility is often less than in town.

 

[apb]

A massive increase in cycling + very little increase on spending by the government = more deaths

Lots of talk and politicking, very little action.

 

[numbnuts]

[QUOTE 2561624, member: 259"]Ghost bikes give me the creeps.[/quote]

It reminds us and the motorists how venerable we are.

 

[Col5632]

I just can't believe more is not being done to make our roads safer, I recently had a trip to Germany where cycling is very different, cars give way to cyclists crossing the road, pavements are split in two and used by cyclists, no bad roads or paths anywhere, the state of our roads must be a factor in some of these deaths and isnt that one of the things we pay the council to up keep, total joke tbh

 

[snorri]

We all have to complain to the right people, not just among ourselves on cycle forums.
Just last night I spoke to four cyclists all of whom were complaining about conditions for cyclists at a local trunk roadworks project. None had complained to the people who matter, ie local councillors and MSPs.
My own MSP told me last week in a letter "The safety of cyclists is top priority", "setting up a sub-group", "sharing best practice", "monitoring progress", "recognising cyclist vulnerability" , "target in place", all utter ******** as there is no mention of actually doing anything.
I await his response to my letter

 

[Col5632]

We all have to complain to the right people, not just among ourselves on cycle forums.
Just last night I spoke to four cyclists all of whom were complaining about conditions for cyclists at a local trunk roadworks project. None had complained to the people who matter, ie local councillors and MSPs.
My own MSP told me last week in a letter "The safety of cyclists is top priority", "setting up a sub-group", "sharing best practice", "monitoring progress", "recognising cyclist vulnerability" , "target in place", all utter ******** as there is no mention of actually doing anything.
I await his response to my letter

You sometimes have to wonder what the point is if nothing gets done about it, i mean in my day to day cycling i dont see much which causes me to feel unsafe or think why is that like that but for people coming into cycling especially younger ones going on our roads must seem like a scary place to be

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I await his response to my letter

Response to mine:

Thank you for your email regarding the debate on cycling to be held in Parliament at the beginning of September. Parliamentary business is subject to change so I will do my best to attend. However I hope that my comments below will be helpful.

I appreciate the importance of encouraging more people to cycle and I agree that the Government and local authorities should consider ways to help improve cycle use and safety. I know that a number of campaigning organisations have helped to raise awareness of the importance of this issue and I fully support The Times' 'Cities fit for cycling' campaign and believe their manifesto should be implemented in full.

The previous Government also looked very carefully at this issue and introduced a range of measures to improve cycle safety and cycle use including a national cycle strategy, the introduction of local cycling plans and dedicated funding and resources for cycle training and safety, especially among children. Indeed, in the last decade cycling casualties have reduced by 17% while cycle use grew by 20%.

I agree, however, that more needs to be done to improve safety for cyclists and I am very concerned that the number of cyclists seriously injured on Britain's roads has started to rise again. It is now vital that the Government take real action to address this and to overcome the barriers that prevent people from taking up cycling. I would, for example, like to see the Government reinstate national safety targets and ensure that a portion of the existing roads budget is ring-fenced so there is dedicated funding to make roads safer for cyclists. Indeed, almost two-thirds of cyclists killed or seriously injured are involved in collisions at junctions and I would therefore like all future road and major transport schemes to be assessed for their impact on cycling safety before being approved.

There also needs to be better training for cyclists and drivers and school travel plans should be reintroduced in order to encourage more children to walk and cycle to school. Action also needs to be taken to reduce the disproportionate number of serious cycling accidents that are caused by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The Government urgently need to work with the industry to equip lorries with safety equipment including blind spot mirrors and side protection and I also believe that the Government should reverse the change that has allowed longer lorries on our roads.

A recent report by the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group also shows that much more needs to be done to encourage people in this country to cycle and to protect those who use our roads. I hope that the Government will listen and respond to these concerns and show the leadership that is needed to encourage more people to cycle and to do so safely.

Thank you once again for writing to me and sharing your views.

Yours sincerely
Tom Greatrex MP

He hopes

 

[Pat "5mph"]

You sometimes have to wonder what the point is if nothing gets done about it, i mean in my day to day cycling i dont see much which causes me to feel unsafe or think why is that like that but for people coming into cycling especially younger ones going on our roads must seem like a scary place to be

I remember when I started commuting 2 years ago, I would use the most round about routes not to have to go on the road.

 

[Col5632]

I remember when I started commuting 2 years ago, I would use the most round about routes not to have to go on the road.

Yeah i was pretty much the same, slowly but surely i now commute almost purely on the road (one road is a narrow b road with cycle path next to it so i use that)

 

[MarkF]

They are probably low for England, remember the population here is much sparser.
Can't help notice the deaths out of town: you think you are safer on rural country roads, this is not always the case as cars seem to speed up and visibility is often less than in town.

What I meant by "low" was, from 4 deaths in 2009 and considering the subsequent % increase of serious cycling figures that I posted, plus general cycling increase, then 9 deaths in 2012 appears low to me.

I agree with you about country roads, I don't have as many incidents when in the Dales as in urban areas, but certainly more scary ones.