Many Londoners believe the capital's roads are too dangerous for them to take up cycling, according to a survey.

One in four adults questioned by market researchers Mintel said cycling was too risky, despite the number of deaths staying at about 20 a year since 2000.

Sales of bikes have remained at about 2.4 million a year for the past five years and are not forecast to rise over the next five. At the same time, the proportion of all journeys in Britain made by bike has fallen by a tenth of one percentage point to 1.5 per cent since 2004.

Mintel said the biggest barrier to cycling cited in the survey was "a strong public perception that, at least on the road, it is simply too dangerous."

The issue has been highlighted by the Evening Standard's Safer Cycling campaign and has started to take off in the mayoral election, with Tory candidate Boris Johnson promising policies to make the roads safe for cyclists.

Research this week showed the A3 is the most dangerous road for cyclists in London, with 744 bike accidents recorded between 1996 and 2006.

A spokesman for Transport for London said: "We have invested heavily in improving safety, with the result that the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured in the capital has fallen by nearly a third - even while the number of cycle trips has risen by 83 per cent."

He said the Mayor announced this week a further £500 million to be spent on cycling over the next 10 years.

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