Summer heatwave saw record numbers of cyclists in London - but casualties rose too

Transport for London (TfL) says that last summer’s heatwave led to record numbers of cyclists riding in the capital – but the number of bike riders killed or seriously injured (KSI) there also rose.

Figures published for the third quarter of the year, covering July to September, showed that levels of cycling rose by 7.5 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier – “the highest level on record.”

TfL noted that last summer was “one of the driest and warmest on record, and July 2018 being the second warmest ever recorded.”

However, the number of cyclist KSIs on London’s roads also rose during the quarter, jumping 83 per cent year-on-year from 153 to 280.

TfL stressed however that the figure for the third quarter of 2018 was a preliminary estimate and it expected the number to be revised downwards in time.

A spokesperson told the website policeprofessional.com: “The KSI figures included in the report are provisional and yet to be quality assured by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), so they are higher than you can expect the final figure to be.

“The MPS quality assure all serious casualty data and this process sees between 15-30 per cent of serious casualties reassigned to a slight severity each month.”

Stuart Reid, TfL’s interim director of Vision Zero, commented: “No death or serious injury should be treated as acceptable or inevitable, and this year we’re doing more than ever before to improve road safety across London.

“This includes introducing a Direct Vision safety standard to remove the most dangerous lorries from London’s streets, implementing safety improvements to London’s buses, and continuing our investment in high-quality cycling and walking infrastructure to make our streets and junctions safer across the capital.”