REVEALED: The five most dangerous roads in Sheffield for cyclists

More than 800 cyclists have crashed on Sheffield roads in the last six years, prompting calls for action from campaigners.
Hundreds of people got on their bikes and took to the streets to call for more Space for Cycling in Sheffield.Hundreds of people got on their bikes and took to the streets to call for more Space for Cycling in Sheffield.
Hundreds of people got on their bikes and took to the streets to call for more Space for Cycling in Sheffield.

A total of 825 cycle collisions were reported to South Yorkshire Police between 2010-2015, according to figures released to The Star under Freedom of Information.

The figure equates to an average of 138 cycle accidents every year and 11 every month.

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The statistics also reveal the five most dangerous roads in Sheffield – Ecclesall Road, with a total of 43 crashes; Abbeydale Road, with 30; Glossop Road and Penistone Road, both with 17; and London Road, with 13.

Dexter Johnstone, of Cycle Sheffield, said: “The fact that major radial roads like Ecclesall Road and Abbeydale Road have the most accidents does not surprise me.

“These are some of the most heavily used roads by cyclists and urgently need segregated bike lanes both for people who already cycle and to encourage more people to start.

“The data from police will only reflect the more serious accidents or collisions which are reported to them. Many minor incidents and probably all near misses will go unrecorded.”

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During the six years, 701 male cyclists were involved in collisions, compared to 117 women and six gender unspecified. This means men are almost seven times as likely as women to be involved in an accident on Sheffield roads.

Dexter said: “It may be that there are more men cycling in Sheffield than woman. However, I don’t know whether this is actually the case and I would be surprised if there were seven times more men than women cycling.”

Dexter said that, according to reports to Cycle Sheffield, the biggest cause of collisions in the city are tram tracks. However, as tram tracks are not recorded as a cause by police, it is not clear how many of the 825 were as a result of tracks.

He said: “We know from our data that tram tracks is the biggest cause of accidents and injuries to cyclists in Sheffield. There have been 331 tram track accidents reported to Cycle Sheffield since January 2015 alone.”

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A spokesman for Sheffield Council said they are committed to developing the city’s cycle network and has pledged to continue working with user groups.

“It is always concerning to hear of accidents such as this and we remain committed to developing a safe and sustainable transport network that can be enjoyed by all of our residents,” the spokesman said.