Morning:
8°c
Number of cyclists treated for serious injuries doubles
Nicholas Cecil, Political Correspondent28 Jan 2008
The number of seriously injured cyclists being treated in London hospitals is soaring, official figures have revealed.
They show twice as many riders are being admitted for treatment as six years ago. The biggest rises were in Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Camden, Kingston and Havering.
The figures prompted calls for a better cycling network and a clampdown on rogue road users. They also suggest there is under-reporting to and by the police of serious injury accidents involving bicycles.
Dr Tim Crayford, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health and a campaigner for better cycling routes in London, said: " Without changes to the infrastructure and design of the roads, if you are going to get twice as many cyclists you are going to get twice as many seriously injured cyclists.
"These statistics really make the case for a dedicated network of joined-up cycle and pedestrianised routes across the capital." Cases of cyclists admitted to hospital jumped from 422 in 2000/01 to 819 in 2006/07. Figures were provided by 26 of the 31 primary care trusts in the capital.
For children under 16, the number rose from 145 to 184, and for under-11s it went from 70 to 75.
In Kensington and Chelsea, cycling casualties increased from 38 to 69; in Wandsworth from 43 to 84; in Kingston from 23 to 55; in Havering from 11 to 48; and in Camden from 22 to 53.
Tory health spokesman for London, Mike Penning, called for tougher enforcement of traffic laws to tackle rogue cyclists as well as dangerous motorists.
"The last thing we want is to see our accident and emergency departments filled with cyclists. We need to protect them but they also need to adhere to the law," he said. The statistics do not include the estimated thousands of riders who are treated in A&E units but not admitted to hospital.
They also differ from the official police total of 373 seriously injured cyclists in 2006.
Studies show police figures on cycling casualties, which have fallen, are significantly below those for hospital admissions. This may be down to people not calling the police, officers underestimating injury severity, or better recording by doctors.
Transport for London said the number of cyclists had soared by 83 per cent since 2000, with at least 480,000 bike journeys a day in the capital.
A spokesman said: "Road casualty figures provided by the police are the most reliable. Last year there was a 31 per cent reduction in the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured in the capital compared with the mid to late Nineties."
| Cases of cyclists admitted to hospital in London primary care trust areas after an accident | ||
| 2000/01 | 2006/07 | |
| Wandsworth | 43 | 84 |
| Kensington & Chelsea | 38 | 69 |
| Kingston | 23 | 55 |
| Camden | 23 | 53 |
| Southwark | 26 | 44 |
| Havering | 11 | 48 |
| Lambeth | 34 | 40 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 23 | 39 |
| Sutton and Merton | 33 | 39 |
| Walthamstow, Leytonand Leytonstone (now broadly Waltham Forest) | 16 | 37 |
| Barnet | 12 | 34 |
| Islington | 22 | 32 |
| Croydon | 26 | 26 |
| Hillingdon | 7 | 22 |
| Newham | 9 | 21 |
| Bromley | 10 | 13 |
| Greenwich | 10 | 13 |
| Hounslow | 9 | 12 |
| Westminster | 17 | 12 |
| Enfield | - | 10 |
| Ealing | 10 | 8 |
| Lewisham | - | 7 |
| Bexley | 6 | 6 |
| * Not all PCTs are included and some have changed their name and area they cover. | ||
Reader views (5)
The police do not take cycling incidents seriously, unless they end in tragedy. Even then, the law acts to protect the driver and charges are lenient.
Any time I have had an incident with a driver, the attitude of the police has been 'you are alright, so drop it'.
Not good enough.
- Happycycling, london, 04/12/2009 11:17
Report abuse
This illustrates the appalling state of cycling provision in the capital. Having just moved back here from the Netherlands I was dismayed to find things had barely improved since I left London in 2000. Dangerous roads are turned into cycle routes merely by having a white line painted on them. Traffic lights are timed to esnure bikes do not get through or are not detected which is why cyclists jump them. We need segregated bike lanes which are usable and safe. Most of the routes put in are typical labour spin masquerading as progress - lanes which fail to join up, 2 metre long lanes plonked here and there for no reason but to allow councils to add them up and say they're doing something. What a fiasco!
- Catherine Brown, London, 26/08/2008 14:48
Report abuse
...and in response to Triffid, it would sometimes be nice to cycle along the green cycle lane on the road without loony pedestrians on mobiles stepping out under my wheels without a care in the world.
- Headhunter, London, 05/02/2008 11:15
Report abuse
As a pedestrian it would be quite nice not to be run over by a pack of cyclists going through red lights every time I dare to cross the road.
Frankly, they will get no sympathy from me until cyclists start obeying the Highway Code. Generally, most think little of pedestrians as car drivers think of them.
The best way to change attitudes would be to start putting your own house in order first.
- Triffid, London, 01/02/2008 13:28
Report abuse
There are, I believe, a number of factors which contribute to the increase in casualties. I have now been cycling for over 10 years on the roads in central London. The most notable change is the increase in agressive driving - the standard of driving appears to be far worse than it was when I started. Car drivers and cyclists are too blame. The best road users are believe it or not taxis and buses - both always know where they are going. The second factor is the appalling standard of road surfaces. The new heavier buses cause more damage to the roads , the current water main replacement is becomingly increasing poorly carried out - potholes which are lethal to a cyclist have vastly increased in numbers and are usually poorly repaired. Proper road maintenance and rigorous traffic enforcement is the real answer
- Patrick Griffin, Dalston, 28/01/2008 12:34
Report abuse
