Observatory Update

31 August 2016

Overall there has been an upward trend in people using pedal cycles as a mode of transport in recent years in Great Britain.

However, this varies in different places, with some areas seeing a significant increase in people cycling whilst there have been smaller increases or decreases in other areas. As the number of cyclists on the roads has increased, the number of cyclist casualties has also generally increased.

Cyclists have differing and potentially conflicting needs from cycling infrastructure. Confident cyclists favouring speed and directness may prefer to cycle in the carriageway with the rest of the traffic. Other cyclists wanting to avoid conflict with motorists prefer separate cycle lanes, or segregated provision such as shared use paths and cycle tracks.

A full review of the latest evidence of the use of effective infrastructure to make cycling safer is now available on the Road Safety Observatory web site.

The UK Road Safety Observatory aims to provide easy access to independent road safety research and information for anyone working in road safety and for members of the public. It provides summaries and reviews of research on a wide range of road safety issues, along with links to original road safety research reports.