Save our cyclists, from fear

The Times this week dedicated an unprecedented amount of coverage to cycling following the launch of its campaign to improve road conditions for urban cyclists. The campaign is laudable and has the potential to improve conditions for anyone who lives in, or passes through, a town or city, but according the ETA, alarmist headlines risk exacerbating the problem that, where cycling is concerned, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

The Times front page headline this week was unequivocal; Save our cyclists. But according to the statistics quoted, the casualty rate for cyclists is one killed for every 88 million miles travelled; a figure that equates to over 35,000 years of riding for a cyclist riding 10 miles a day.

A spokesperson for the ETA said: “We have much to learn from our European cousins about designing the places we live to suit people as opposed to motorised traffic, but the portrayal of road safety as important only to cyclists underpins the unfounded perception that a bicycle is too risky a mode of transport to be considered an alternative to the car.”

Headlines that make much of the tiny statistical risk of being killed on a bicycle risk becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy; there is much evidence to suggest that the more of we cyclists there are on the roads, the safer for us it becomes.

The Cities Fit for Cycling Campaign

Following a road traffic collision between a heavy goods vehicle and the bicycle being ridden by Times correspondent Mary Bowers, the paper has written a covenant for cycling.

According to the newspaper, cycling on the urban roads of Britain should be a safe and pleasurable experience. Minister, mayors and local authorities need to build cities that are fit for the purpose. They have listed the following eight key requirements:

Cycle insurance with built-in legal protection

Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old replacement and accidental damage, £1m third party insurance, personal accident cover, worldwide cover and if you should be knocked off your bike our specialist legal team fight your corner. From 34p per week.