tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post1673934186908816919..comments2023-09-27T16:07:50.948+01:00Comments on (Drawing) Rings Around The World: Cycling in the City of London isn't getting much saferJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-80026488769125124782011-02-22T14:19:20.941+00:002011-02-22T14:19:20.941+00:00The great thing about cycling in the City is that ...The great thing about cycling in the City is that we're moving faster than the motor traffic - much safer!Just zis Guy, you know?https://www.blogger.com/profile/11774306676255483622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-59251306906048714832011-02-22T14:05:54.871+00:002011-02-22T14:05:54.871+00:00Hmm, looks like my million workers stat might cove...Hmm, looks like my million workers stat might cover 'central' London rather than the City, which is smaller. Ta for the correction.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-32827681534459671622011-02-22T13:51:01.184+00:002011-02-22T13:51:01.184+00:00Yes, thanks for the context. It's needed (thou...Yes, thanks for the context. It's needed (though wikipedia says "only" about a third of a million are employed there).<br /><br />The KSI rate for cyclists who dare to venture into that "square mile" is really terrible. I've been there on a bike myself a couple of times. One weekend I rode down from Cambridge to the Thames, for instance. It wasn't very nice.<br /><br />It's a bit of a grisly competition, but I wonder where the most dangerous "square mile" on earth actually is for cyclists these days. This is perhaps a strong contender, and it could be a good eye-catching thing to use to get attention for campaigning.David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-34977394121110481122011-02-22T13:35:17.839+00:002011-02-22T13:35:17.839+00:00Thanks for commenting David.
Bear in mind that t...Thanks for commenting David. <br /><br />Bear in mind that the City is the most built-up, densely occupied part of the entire UK. The resident population is very small but every morning about a million people pour in by one means or another to work there, then pour out again in the evening. And there is usually a lot of contruction going on at any given time. <br /><br />Not trying to justify the figures, which I agree are still scarily high, but just to add some context.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-8070182344209077852011-02-22T13:18:11.812+00:002011-02-22T13:18:11.812+00:00This is a remarkably high accident rate. 19 cyclis...This is a remarkably high accident rate. 19 cyclists killed or seriously injured per year in an area of just <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London" rel="nofollow">2.9 square km</a>. Is that really true ?<br /><br />You also write of there being about 25000 entering the city every day. Presumably the same number leave, so we can say 50000 cycle journeys per day due to commuters. The population is only about 10000. Even if they each cycle as often as the average Dutchman, that adds only another 8000 to make around 58000 cycle journeys per day.<br /><br />By way of comparison, Assen, where I live in the Netherlands, has well over 70000 cycle journeys per day, spread over an area 28 times as large (83 km2 vs. 2.9 km2), and cyclists here include all sections of society, which means they include far higher proportions of more vulnerable groups - including almost all school children and pensioners.<br /><br />However, most years there are no cyclist deaths in Assen, and serious injuries are rare too. Minor injury levels, all of which must be reported, are around the level of your KSIs: 28 for the last year I have figures to hand.David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-15134260417096106782011-02-22T11:06:28.386+00:002011-02-22T11:06:28.386+00:00Thanks for the response. All very interesting. I...Thanks for the response. All very interesting. It seems to me that you've hit the nail on the head; "the accident rate isn't going to go down much more without substantial improvements in conditions" I think the City recognises as much in their recent draft LIP and makes lots of noises about improving conditions and attracting more cyclists, but they really fall over when it comes to budget and planned implementation. Let's hope we can twist their arm to think outside of the box a little (more on that soon! Watch this space as they say!)ibikelondonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06978714126105951294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-76661163609173230562011-02-22T10:22:40.640+00:002011-02-22T10:22:40.640+00:00Thanks Mark. I think from looking at the last grap...Thanks Mark. I think from looking at the last graph that there probably was some 'safety in numbers' effect in the City in the past (and there still may be in Inner London) but that this trend has 'bottomed out' and that the accident rate isn't going to go down much more without substantial improvements in conditions.<br /><br />In general it's very hard to disentangle cause and effect to really identify 'safety in numbers'. But I tend to think it would be odd if we didn't see some effect of that kind just from drivers being conditioned to expect to encounter cyclists more often.<br /><br />Your last point is absolutely right. It feels odd to be summarising a whole group of individual tragedies in the snappy acronym 'KSI', and we should never lose sight of the huge losses that lurk behind the numbers.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37583332747236920.post-25232834006032831532011-02-22T09:28:32.785+00:002011-02-22T09:28:32.785+00:00A really interesting break down of the figures, th...A really interesting break down of the figures, thanks for taking the time to crunch the numbers. Would you say it is fair to assume that the 'safety in numbers' effect is not taking effect with such low levels of cycling, despite these being significantly higher than previously?<br /><br />What I always hard when looking at KSI stats is remembering that each one of those statistics is a person who has been hurt, or killed, whilst out on their bicycles. A horrible and alarming thought :o(ibikelondonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06978714126105951294noreply@blogger.com