Almost half of Londoners would ride more if road safety improved

Forty-seven per cent of Londoners would cycle more if road safety improved, according to a survey by London Councils, the organisation representing the capital’s 32 local borough councils.

The poll of 1,000 Londoners indicated that other incentives that would encourage cycling include having safe places to lock bikes (27 per cent); if streets were in a better condition (21 per cent); better cycling infrastructure (20 per cent); a safer urban environment (16 per cent) and less pollution (10 per cent).

The report comes the day after research from Slater & Gordon, solicitors to the cycling charity CTC, that showed that eight out of ten cyclists fear for their safety on the roads.

The objective of the London Councils’ survey was to find out what people thought needed to be done to make cycling more attractive.

Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, Councillor Catherine West, said: “We did the survey to find out what measures would encourage people to cycle more as journeys made by bike have significant health and environmental benefits and can often be quicker and more convenient than taking public transport or driving.

“Boroughs are responsible for 95 per cent of London’s roads and are committed to giving residents more opportunities to cycle through a range of innovative schemes which make a real difference to neighbourhoods.”

Cycling activists will doubtless point out the problem with surveys like this is that what people say they want, and the measures that actually change people’s behaviour can be very different.

‘Improved road safety’ in particular, is an umbrella notion that has many constituents, whereas providing safe places to lock bikes is quite specific.

According to the report, borough councils’ road safety initiatives include 20mph speed limit schemes and most recently borough-wide 20 mph limits; training and raising awareness of good road safety practice, particularly among lorry drivers and cyclists; and community-led road safety improvements.

They also install bollards to slow down traffic using rat runs, make busy junctions safer and ensure road safety measures form part of planning permission agreements for local developments.

Other measures widely promoted to improve safety for cyclists include building specific cycling infrastructure, as many cycling activists are now demanding, fitting lorries with additional mirrors and sensors, and enforcing road laws banning drivers from talking on the phone and texting while driving.

Five London boroughs -  Lambeth, Southwark, Hounslow, Haringey and Ealing - are bidding for funding from the European Union to improve cycling in their areas.