Research has found that cyclists are put off taking to the road by a fear of accidents and a lack of road safety. The results of the survey, carried out by cyclist detection technology Cycle Alert, were released following the deaths of six cyclists in two weeks in London.

20 November 2013 – Cycle Alert have conducted a survey with 800 cyclists and the results make interesting reading and highlight ‘safety and road sharing’ as key concerns for the cyclists that responded. Over 80 per cent of those who responded are put off cycling by sharing the road with buses and HGV vehicles. Over a third of the cyclists who responded from the London area said they feel relatively unsafe or worse, on their regular journey to work.

In light of the deaths of six cyclists in two weeks in London (all of which involved either an HGV or a bus) you can understand where this fear is borne. Though Londoners await further news as to the details of these tragedies, one might speculate that these accidents occurred when the driver could not see the cyclist in their blind spots. Cycle Alert asks the question “With technology such ours now available – a cycle specific device that eradicates blind spots and makes cyclists visible to drivers – why are the Government not looking at mandatory fitting of such a device?” Cycle Alert is a viable alternative to major infrastructure changes and banning HGV’s during rush hours.

Cycle Alert is not a theoretical product; it is launching in York later this month, a city renowned for its progressive approach to city planning and sustainable transportation methods. The University of York are to pioneer a Cycle Alert trial on their University buses, citing the safety of their students and encouragement of sustainable modes of transport paramount to their future plans.

It is also worth noting, in addition to this survey and in light of these latest accidents, that in the recent Coroner’s report following the untimely deaths of cyclists Brian Dorling (2011) and Philippine Gerin-Richard (2013), the Coroner, ME Hassell raises the point that ‘innovative solutions need to be considered whether this be in terms of infrastructure or other’ and notes ‘the recent introduction of the Cycle Alert trial in York’ as an example of such an innovation to illustrate her comment.

Executive summary from the research:

- Cycle Alert appears to be the only market-ready RFID technology in the market

- Cycle Alert will operate among a variety of safety equipment/technology that vans and trucks can be fitted with to detect other road users in blind spots and to alert them to the existence of, and manoeuvres performed by, the van/truck

- Cycle Alert is not necessarily competing with all safety equipment available and is meant to work in conjunction with some of them to ensure safer roads and offering the benefit of exclusive cyclist detection

- The major benefit that Cycle Alert offers to potential commercial users is the exclusive detection of cyclists and ease of use in a built-up environment. Cycle Alert does not overload the driver with false alarms (like proximity sensors) or detract attention from the road (like checking CCTV cameras)

- Cycle Alert has a clear functional benefit for fleet operators compared to other solutions on the market.

The key aspect that Cycle Alert could communicate to assuage these concerns is that its device is intended to be part of a wider solution which includes the education of drivers and cyclists on how to safely share the road, prudent driving and cycling, and using Cycle Alert as an additional element of checking for cyclists in blind spots.

Interesting figures:

- It is estimated the market for London cyclists / bicycle owners to be c.1.37 million including the 11,000 bicycles under the Barclays scheme. This includes 572,000 frequent (cycling at least twice/ week) and 805,000 occasional (cycling at least once/ year) cyclists

- Their market estimate for the number of unique trucks circulating in London on an annual basis is 127,300 that consist of 58,000 MGVs and 69,300 HGVs. There are an additional 7,500 London buses

Findings:

According to a consumer survey with Grant Thornton’s employees nationally, safety on the road is very high on the agenda of both cyclists and non-cyclists; the risk of accidents was selected as one of the key factors that puts existing cyclists off cycling, whilst lack of safety on the road was named as the key factor that prevents non-cyclists from cycling.

A third of London cyclists surveyed claimed they felt relatively unsafe or worse in the areas where they regularly cycle, while only 10 per cent of respondents from the rest of the UK claimed the same. Despite this, sharing a space with HGVs, buses and waste collection trucks was named as somewhat off-putting or worse by over 80 per cent of cyclists.

Nearly 87 per cent of people said they would consider buying Cycle Alert and 91 per cent said they would ‘definitely consider’ buying a Cycle Alert for a friend or loved one.

Respondents’ price considerations varied with nearly 90 per cent willing to pay at least £11-£20 for such a device, of which over a third of respondents willing to pay between £21-30.

For further information, please visit www.cyclealert.com