Cyclists and London pedestrians

“The number of people killed per year by cyclists averages less than one. The number of cyclists killed per year by motor vehicles is around 120.

“We are not a menace. We are menaced. And that explains some of the cyclist behaviour that gets up people’s noses….

“You might say that even if we’re not a menace to other vehicles, we’re a menace to pedestrians. But again the figures don’t stand that up. Cyclists make up about 1 per cent of the traffic in London, and they also cause 1 per cent of the traffic injuries to pedestrians – almost exactly in proportion with their numbers. The injuries they cause are also, as you’d expect, disproportionately at the lower end of the scale.

However, Andrew Gilligan spoils a good argument when he thinks that the “mega-cycling cities” of Europe are Cambridge, Copenhagen and Berlin.

Over to you on that one, Mr Hembrow…