Cycle safety campaign launched

A cycle safety campaign is being launched across five cities in the UK.

The campaign, which features eye-catching outdoor posters warning motorists and cyclists to watch out for each other, will run for four weeks in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds and Manchester.

It originally ran in London last spring before being rolled out from October in the five cities where statistics show the highest rates of traffic collisions involving cyclists compared to population.

Analysis of last year’s campaign showed that almost two-thirds of drivers agreed the adverts reminded them about the importance of looking out for cyclists.

Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill said: “We have some of the safest roads in the world but one cyclist’s death is one too many and we are determined to make our roads safer.

“This new poster campaign builds on the success of last year’s work to remind drivers to take care around cyclists and remind cyclists to be extra cautious around vehicles. This message is especially important as the weather improves and more people take to their bikes.”

More than £278m has been made available by the government to support safer cycling, including £35m to tackle dangerous junctions, while nearly all of the projects being funded by the Department’s £600m Local Sustainable Transport Fund contain a cycling element.

Local roads are the responsibility of local authorities and councils have been challenged to ‘cycle-proof’ their existing roads and plan for cyclists when designing new road infrastructure.

The government has also made it simpler for councils to introduce 20mph zones and limits and install Trixi mirrors at junctions to help eliminate blind spots for drivers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and ensure better visibility of cyclists at junctions.