Cycle deaths – misplaced priorities

Whine at the Independent, since the Standard is ignoring me!

According to official TFL numbers, in London in 2012 there were 69 pedestrian fatalities, 27 motorbike fatalities, 19 car fatalities and just 12 Pushbike fatalities.

Yet the mayor sees fit to allocate £980,000,000 to try and reduce the already tiny fourth-ranking number, not the others. He is doing this because the newspapers love a good blood-spattered story, not because it is a solvable problem.

He is doing this by removing vehicle lanes and reducing the road space available thus actually increasing risks for all road users and pedestrians on adjoining pavements.

His entire misguided cycle safety policy is not only a waste of a billion pounds of public money, it will make the situation worse.

THAT is what the papers should be reporting, not dwelling on a handful of inevitable accidents just because they happen to be white, middle-class pushbike users.

A dozen deaths a year is not, statistically, above background noise. They are certainly not national news.