More than 1,000 people responded to the Bristol Cycling Campaign’s annual survey By Alex Seabrook
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Four out of five cyclists in Bristol have experienced issues with aggressive driving, new figures show.
More than 1,000 people responded to Bristol Cycling Campaign’s (BCC) annual survey showing the prevalence of problems cyclists in the city face.
Issues range from inattentive drivers passing too close, to "extreme verbal and physical aggression", which BCC said will put people off from cycling.
Ian Pond, chair of BCC, said: "We were dismayed, but sadly not shocked."
Avon and Somerset Police said the force had received 273 reports from cyclists of near misses in the past 12 months, with the top offence recorded as vehicles passing too close or too fast.A spokeswoman added: "In those 12 months, we received 6,845 pieces of video evidence from road users, with 3,758 of those being from cyclists."A total of 81% of respondents to BCC’s survey said having protected cycle routes on main routes would encourage them to cycle more often.A spokesman for Bristol City Council said it is continuing to expand a network of protected cycle lanes. Image caption, Four out of five cyclists in Bristol have experienced issues with ‘aggressive driving’ One respondent in the survey said: "I had a driver jump red lights trying to hit me with his car."I tried to get away from him by cycling on the pavement, which I would not normally do. He drove several metres down the pavement after me and only […]
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