One death is one too many: 10 gear changes to make urban cycling safe and sustainable

The love-hate relationship between #cities and #cycling has been thrown into sharp focus following the death of a pensioner who was hit by a cyclist. The awful event is a reminder of the need for the UK to invest in #sustainable infrastructure.

In July 2022 an 81-year-old woman stepped out into the path of a cyclist who was part of a peloton riding round Outer Circle, a circular 4.5km (2.8 mile) road in London’s Regent’s Park. She passed away two months later, and the subsequent inquest ruled it was an accident that the cyclist had no time to avoid.

Despite that, the tragedy has stirred up long standing mutual resentment between pedestrians, who witness cyclists breaking rules and laws, and the cycling community infuriated at pedestrians walking out across a road while looking at their phone. The news emerged as MPs were voting to bring in a new offence of causing death and injury by dangerous cycling.

Both groups have a point but in a perfect world, as the head of a Regent’s Park cyclists group, said, cyclists and pedestrians “should be trying to work together to advocate for safer travel”. (Full disclaimer: I bike around Outer Circle in full cycling gear, but my age means I seldom exceed 20mph).

The aggravated relationship is due in part to the failure over decades to invest sufficiently in safe, sustainable cycling infrastructure that keeps those on two wheels apart from those on four or on two legs. According to the IPPR think-tank, figures for England show that spending on “active travel” — which includes walking — takes up just 2 per cent of the total transport spend, leading to some of the lowest walking, wheeling and cycling rates in Europe.

According to Cycling UK, spending corresponded to £24 per head annually in London between 2016 and 2021, while the rest of England spent only £10 per head. This compares to spending on roads amounting to an equivalent of £148 per person per year. Campaigners have had to go to court to challenge a government decision to cut the UK active travel budget by £200 million over the next two years.

Inevitably, northern Europe and especially the Netherlands and Germany are home to the cities deemed the safest for cyclists. British tourists will notice the ubiquitous segregated cycling lanes in cities such as Utrecht, Munster, Antwerp and Copenhagen that regular top the tables of safe cycling cities.

An 10-spoke plan

From a public policy perspective, cycling should be encouraged as it causes a miniscule fraction of the pollution of other forms of transport while the users benefit in terms of exercise and fitness. So, what policies should re-elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan and a new Westminster government put in their panniers? Here are 10 measures that could between them have a positive impact.

that could between them have a positive impact.

The first is installing more segregated cycle lanes. Building conduits for cyclists that run along roads but are physically separated from vehicle traffic by low, 10cm high walls keep the two groups apart in a way that painted lines alone do not. They should be wide, well-marked and continuous to provide a safe and comfortable space for cyclists.

Second is improved junction design. Many, often fatal, cycling accidents happen at junctions and intersections. By redesigning junctions with features like advanced stopping areas for cyclists — increasingly common in London —bicycle-only traffic signals, and dedicated cycling lanes through intersections can reduce conflicts between cyclists and cars.

Third is more infrastructure to just make cycling easier and more comfortable. Key would be more bicycle parking facilities and especially secure and covered parking areas at key destinations that can address concerns about bicycle theft. Fourth are  more traffic calming measures. Admittedly these have become highly contested in the wake of low traffic neighbourhoods, but speed humps, chicanes, and narrowed streets can help reduce vehicle speeds in residential and commercial areas, making them safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Fifth would be tightening laws to make them cycle-friendly along with greater enforcement. Laws that protect cyclists' rights on the road and enforcing them strictly can encourage more responsible behaviour by motorists. A recent example is the change to the Highway Code to allow cyclists to ride in the middle of their lane rather than cling to the left. Others are harsher penalties for parking in cycle lanes and adopting a Dutch rule that mandates drivers open their car door with the hand further away from it (which forces them to look behind them).

Number six is more education and awareness campaigns for both cyclists and motorists in safe cycling practices, rules of the road and the importance of sharing the road. Seven is better integration with public transport such as allowing bicycles on buses — currently a no-no in London — and trains, to make cycling a more practical option for longer distances.

Having clearly colour-coded cycle maps dotted around the city — similar to tube and Underground maps — would be my eighth, while my nnth would be more water refill stations (good for both walkers and bikers).

The 10th and final gear shift is more publicly funded cycling training programmes, particularly for children and adults new to cycling that can improve cycling skills, confidence, and safety awareness. Taken together, this package could help reduce the tension between cyclists and both pedestrians and drivers and thus reduce the chances of another terrible accident.