[nods] You are of course right that personal experience doesn't mean that much. Although I'd add that not only have I never had an accident myself, I've never witnessed one (on a bike; have witnessed motorbike/car accidents & the aftermath thereof) in somewhere around 7,000 miles. Although I have witnessed a lot of *really bloody stupid* behaviour :-/
Can't find anything immediately on cyclist numbers, other than that they've doubled over the last 4 years in London. Waltham Forest claim that cyclist numbers have increased & accidents decreased in their borough (which matches what I've seen elsewhere, possibly on the LCC site, but can't find links to atm).
In general, my recollection is that measured per mile cyclist deaths are lower than pedestrian deaths, but quite a lot higher than public transport deaths (though note that public transport is significantly safer than any form of self-powered transport - the cycle figures are closer to the pedestrian/car figures than any of them are to public transport). But I can't remember whether that's in London or in the UK generally).
The other side of this, of course, is the health benefits from cycling - it's certainly arguable that they outweigh the risks.
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Date: 2005-11-30 01:17 pm (UTC)Can't find anything immediately on cyclist numbers, other than that they've doubled over the last 4 years in London. Waltham Forest claim that cyclist numbers have increased & accidents decreased in their borough (which matches what I've seen elsewhere, possibly on the LCC site, but can't find links to atm).
In general, my recollection is that measured per mile cyclist deaths are lower than pedestrian deaths, but quite a lot higher than public transport deaths (though note that public transport is significantly safer than any form of self-powered transport - the cycle figures are closer to the pedestrian/car figures than any of them are to public transport). But I can't remember whether that's in London or in the UK generally).
The other side of this, of course, is the health benefits from cycling - it's certainly arguable that they outweigh the risks.