The City of London could reduce speed limits in some areas in a bid to bring down the number of cyclist casualties.
Although a 2010 London Road Safety Report actually shows that the number of collisions involving cyclists has fallen, TfL still consider that there’s further work to be done to improve things for our friends on two wheels while a 2008 report and the Cyclists in the City blog ponders lower limits on inner London river crossings, with the exception of Tower Bridge where there’s already a 20mph limit in place.
TfL roads such as Bishopsgate, Farringdon and Lower Thames Street are ideal candidates for the lowered limit, according to London Assembly member John Biggs, though having seen the state of the road surface on Bishopsgate towards Shoreditch, we think that a few yards of freshly-applied tarmac might be in order first.
Cycling in the City has seen a dramatic rise in popularity since the launch of the Cycle Hire Scheme though it can still be a precarious way to travel. There’s not much dispute that reducing speed can reduce the severity of a collision, but more often than not it’s carelessness or lack of observation which leads to road collisions so we’re not convinced that touting a 20mph speed limit as the potential saviour of London’s cyclists is necessarily the only way forward.
Potholes, to give one example, may be irritating and lead to a bent wheel for motorists but an accident in the making for a cyclist though at least there’s £100m in the pot to repair the holes. It also has to be said that some cyclists don’t do themselves any favours with little or no lights and dark clothing at night and that old gripe of motorists: ignoring the rules of the road. Keeping the cycle lane for Blackfriars Bridge would be a good start too.
