Portsmouth ranks among most dangerous cities in UK for cyclists with more than 1,000 accidents in five years

The A2030, the Eastern Road, is the location with the most fatal accidents - with five cyclists killed in the last five years.

The A2047, which includes London Road, Fratton Road and Kingston Road, is the most common location of serious accidents for cyclists in the city, with 257 serious accidents occurring on the road since 2016.

Portsmouth is ranked the fifth most dangerous city in the UK for cyclists - with 1,021 accidents in the last five years.

The findings come after research from personal injury experts Boyes Turner Claims which analysed Department for Transport (DfT) data over the last 10 years.

Overall, its findings showed there were 16,230 casualties involving pedal cyclists across Britain in 2020, accounting for 14 per cent of all road traffic accident casualties on the roads.

Analysis of the DfT data showed that overall, traffic collision casualties across the country had decreased by 45 per cent over the past 10 years from 208,648 a year to 115,333 since 2010.

However, the decrease in casualties involving cyclists has slowed at a much slower rate, down from 17,185 to 16,230 per year, representing only a 6 per cent drop over the previous decade.

Kim Milan, senior partner of the Personal Injury team at Boyes Turner said: ‘While it is heartening to see an overall reduction in casualties caused from road accidents over the past 10 years, the increase in the percentage of all accidents involving cyclists highlights there is still an increasing danger for cyclists on British roads.

‘While it is helpful to see the areas and roads in the country where cyclists should take extra care, it is imperative for all road users to be mindful of other road users at all times, to reduce the risk of suffering a serious injury from a road accident, collision or fall.’

Drivers of a taxi, refuse lorry and van were recently stopped by police in Northern Parade and London Road, Hilsea, after an undercover officer snared motorists - highlighting the dangers on city roads for cyclists.

Chairman of the Pompey Cycle Forum, Ian Saunders, said earlier this month: ‘Safety for cyclists in the city is not great and hasn’t really improved in the seven years since we launched the city to share strategy.

‘Northern Parade is a key commuting road, and should be a part of a city-wide cycling network. We need a network of safe cycle lanes on these key roads otherwise cyclists will always feel unsafe.

‘We know cyclists need to be careful too but these things happen to even the most sensible, when they’re wearing high visibility clothing and lights. Are those two seconds you gain by passing a cyclist really worth it?’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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