How safe is your route?

[summerdays]

This is from the Times:
http://labs.timesonline.co.uk/blog/2009/03/11/uk-cycling-accidents/

Pedalling some raw data…
by Paul Clarke

Planning a cycle route? Would it be useful to know where accidents-involving-bicycles have been in the past? Following the principle of “make the raw data available, and let others use it” - here’s a new data set.

The information is provided by the Department for Transport, and the first of what we hope will be many more raw data sets provided through this innovate site. At the moment it’s just one file - but it will go straight into our data wiki which should be ready very soon.

The data gives the locations (for the years 2005-2007) of accidents involving pedal cycles, causing personal injury, which were reported to the police. Are there ‘hot-spots’? Any trends over time? Could this support a “plan a safer journey” service? What about helping to draw attention to the need for road improvements? Over to you to explore some of the answers…

Further information on road accident statistics (including scope, definitions and limitations) can be found in the Road Casualties Great Britain report (2007 is the latest year available).​

And a link to the map:

http://labs.timesonline.co.uk/2009/cycling_accidents/

Unfortunately I cycle near a lot of red dots... and it excludes Damage only, and its only those that are reported to the police!!!

 

[HelenD123]

Lots of red dots on my commute as well

 

[shunter]

Northern Ireland is the safest region in the UK - yippee! Or maybe nobodies counting

 

[summerdays]

I expect they aren't included in the figures as there were several cycling casualties last time I was over and it was only a few days.

 

[D-Rider]

Cripes! That's a lot of red dots... only two years worth?

 

[thomas]

The 3.5 miles I do to work has about 7 ....I think one of them could of been my complaint too - though that never got officially reported, just the policeman had words with the bus company....wish you could zoom in further - see if the one in the town centre I complained about was there.

However, on my 15 mile commute to summer job there are only 2 red dots, and these are in the town centre...and probably only there because I'm the only idiot to cycle that way

 

[summerdays]

One route that I could take but normally prefer the back roads has 20+ red dots on - over a distance of 3 miles, another route has 9. At least I now know I'm justified in taking the back roads.

 

[Amanda P]

A woman was killed a couple of years ago at a junction I use every day. They put up some of those triangular signs warning of cyclists. But there's no red dot for it.

 

[hackbike 666]

Southwark Bridge is notorious for that on my route.Lots of big lorries and buses.

 

[purplepolly]

To be strictly accurate it would have to relate the incidents to estimated number of cyclists. But it does confirm what I've always suspected - my favourite congested four lane A road route to work has lots of regular cyclists and 1 dot while the side road alternative route with very few cylists has 3. I'll keep off the scenic route in future.

 

[jimboalee]

On your next commute, watch out for the word "SLOW" painted on the road.
The council paint "SLOW" on the road 100 meters before the site of a fatal incident.

These are for all types of road user.

They give an indication of a 'Danger spot' where to take care.

 

[thomas]

Okay, for my non-uni job, the guy's moved office. Along the main road there are 11 red dots (about 1 every mile and a bit). If I go the quieter way, down lovely countryside lanes there is about 12 most of which are when I get into what I believe to be a housing estate. So really, the busy main road could be safer .

In all honesty, I don't really care, I'll probably cycle the main road there (longer in bed) and the country lanes back (longer route, nice for the summer evenings). It's over 3 years the data and stuff is bound to happen.

 

[Downward]

There's nothing reported in Birmingham or to the West - Hope I don't become one of the 1st.

 

[HLaB]

According to that, I cycle through either 0, 1 or 2 spots at the most; unless I take the off road path which emerges on some quite bad streets. Now I know why I take my on road routes most often ;-)
I did find it funny that one accident was reported 3miles north of Leith in the middle of the River Forth, damm lies and statistics ;-)

 

[Bokonon]

It would be interesting/instructive to know the circumstances of some of the reported incidents. Looking at some of those given on my commute, I would hazard a guess that inappropriate filtering and RLJ would have been factors.

I changed my typical commute route about a year ago because I really didn't like filtering past large queues of stationary traffic on the main road. The cycle lane to the left was a no-go due to all the faults of cycle lanes being present, filtering on the right was hindered by a number of traffic islands creating pinch points. The route I now use has far more reported incidents, though these are mostly clustered on one junction which regularly displays poor discipline from all road users.