Over 100 cycling casualties on Dacorum roads since 2016 as council is warned to improve safety

There have been 106 cycling casualties on roads in Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and surrounding areas between 2016 and 2019, figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) analysed by the JPIMedia Data Unit reveal.

The Data Unit ranked the 340 local authorities by the highest rate of casualties per 100,000 people, Dacorum was 213th in the table with 16 casualties per 100,000, and City of London was top with 1183 per 100,000.

Local authorities across the UK are being urged to improve their cycling infrastructure to cut road injuries and deaths as more people take to their bikes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, one cyclist was killed in Dacorum, and there were 25 cycling casualties.

In the borough, the number of cycling casualties has decreased by 4% between 2016 and 2019.

Only incidents reported to police are included, while figures prior to 2016 cannot be compared as many police forces changed their definition of a serious injury.

With official government data showing over 17,000 cyclists were injured or killed on the UK’s roads last year, a leading charity says safety is a key barrier to more people making the switch to cycling.

The average age of casualty was 36 last year, with the vast majority of victims being men.

Daisy Narayanan, director of urbanism at walking and cycling charity Sustrans, said safety is a key barrier to more people taking up cycling.

“While cycling is a relatively safe activity, we need to continue to make our streets safer for people who cycle and to increase people’s perception of safety,” Ms Narayanan said:

“In order to ensure cycling safety across the board, we need strong leadership in walking and cycling at the local level.

“Local authorities should work to create safer, better streets and places through the implementation of protected cycle routes and low traffic neighbourhoods, whilst taking into account the local context.”

On November 2, Hertfordshire County Council started works on its pedestrian and cycle route improvements on the A414 Breakspear Way in Hemel Hempstead.

The new Buncefield Lane Quietway and Breakspear Way Crossing is part funded by Hertfordshire County Council, with an additional £686,000 Local Growth Fund investment from Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The Quietway is a network of cycle and walking routes that link key destinations through less heavily trafficked streets, joining up with off carriageway routes where possible.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “We are committed to making cycling a safe and attractive option for people wanting to get around our towns, and we’re making significant investments to do this.

"These improvements, such as the Buncefield Lane Quietway, will make a real difference to cyclists using roads in and around Dacorum.”

The UK Government said it is investing billions to make cycling safer.

A spokesperson said: “We’re investing an unprecedented £2 billion to support cycling and walking over the next five years, including for safe, high-quality infrastructure, and proposing changes to The Highway Code to further protect cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.”