BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The number of deaths and severe injuries caused to cyclists on the streets of London fell last year, according to statistics released today by Transport for London.
The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI) fell by three per cent since 2008, from 445 to 433. Overall the drop was 24 per cent over the past decade (compared with a 1994-1998 average), despite a 117 per cent increase in cycle journeys on London’s major roads.
Overall KSIs halved compared with just over a decade ago, and by eight per cent compared with 2008, beating safety targets.
The results are partly due to TfL’s £21.2m investment in road safety, according to London Mayor Boris Johnson.
He said: “This is about more than just statistics, it is about saving lives and to see that the amount of people who have been killed or seriously injured cut by half in around a decade reflects the significant effort that has been put into improving road safety. Everyone involved in achieving this result deserves our thanks.
“But they must not lose their focus. Every accident on our roads is an accident too many and we need to continue to invest in road safety projects and improvements in order to keep this downward trend heading in the right direction.”
Director of Better Route and Places at TfL Ben Plowden said: “There were 20 fewer lives lost and 279 fewer serious injuries on London’s roads last year compared to 2008. This is great news, but road deaths and injuries are still devastating the lives of families and communities throughout London.
"TfL is directly investing £21.2 million this year in both new and proven ways of improving road safety in the Capital, in order to make London’s roads even safer.”
You can view the full report here. Close examination of the stats shows that cyclist fatalities fell by 13 per cent over the year, while ‘slight’ injuries rose by 17 per cent.
