Serious cycling casualties on the rise in Colchester

Cyclists in Colchester have been increasingly involved in incidents causing death and serious injury - and this year is on track to be the worst on record.

In general, the number of KSIs in Colchester has halved in the last ten years but cyclists are now one of the highest at risk groups, coming only second to motorcyclists.

According to the Daily Gazette: "In 2011 there were 69 KSis involving cyclists. This rose to 88 in 2012 and this year is already up to 42 since April. For all KSIs there were 669 in 2012/13 with 42 deaths."

Adam Pipe, the casualty reduction manager for Essex said: “Our priority are motorcyclists who account for 26 per cent of KSIs and cyclists.

“Since the Olympics we have seen a dramatic increase. Lots of people are returning to cycling and Colchester has the highest problem.”

The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads rose by 8 per cent in the year to 30 September 2012 compared to the previous 12 months, the most figures from the Department for Transport showed.

Figures for pedestrians and motorcyclists also rose during the period, up by 6 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. While total road fatalities among all users fell 7 per cent, serious injuries were up 2 per cent during the period.

We recently reported how last year was a more dangerous year than 2011 to be a Scottish cyclist in particular. Cyclist casualties in Scotland increased by 9 percent and there were 9 cyclist deaths, 2 more than in 2011.

The latest Statistical Bulletin from Transport Scotland says:

“There were 898 pedal cyclist casualties recorded in 2012, 9 per cent more than in 2011. 167 (19% and an increase of 7% on 2011) were seriously injured and  9 died (two more than in 2011).

The report suggests that the increased number of cyclists on the roads is a factor in the increase in casualties.

“There are now more cyclists on the roads which will impact on cycling casualty numbers with numbers increasing by around 30 per cent in the last ten years, as  shown by the National Travel Survey and Traffic estimates published in Scottish Transport Statistics.”

In London, TfL data relating to 2011 showed that cyclists accounted for 2 per cent of daily journeys in that year, but 20 per cent of KSIs (571). Motorcyclists made up just 1 per cent of daily journeys, but 21 per cent of KSIs (599). Pedestrians undertook 21 per cent of daily journeys, but represented 35 per cent of KSIs (980).

To put that another way, more than three in four people killed or seriously injured on London’s streets in 2011 were engaged in a mode of travel that collectively make up less than a quarter of daily journeys. It's led to a new road safety plan, Safe Streets for London, being launched by the Mayor of London.

And we've reported how cycle deaths and injuries in Oxford have doubled in the last ten years, leading survivors of crashes to beg for more safety measures.

In the city famously associated with the bicycle, 58 people were killed or seriously injured last year, compared to 27 in 2001.