Newcastle has been ranked the second most dangerous place in the UK for cyclists in a new survey. It was based on data 'scraped' from over 12,000 cycling routes from a reputable cycling network site.
The number of bike accidents, average steepness of routes, surface quality and lighting across cycling routes were all analysed to assign a danger score to 41 cities across the UK.
According to the findings, Birmingham was the most dangerous city followed by Newcastle and then Plymouth. Sunderland, the only other North East city to feature, was ranked 17th.
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The work was carried out by Claims.co.uk, inspired by the fact that cycling in the UK has surged by almost 200% since Covid lockdowns were put in place. And it shows no sign of slowing down.
Birmingham racked up an overall danger score of 7.38/10. Bikers are most likely to suffer from poorly-maintained road surfaces (9/10), and steep pathways where less than 50% are equipped with optimal lighting. These could thus contribute to the city’s bike accident score of 6.75/10, according to the findings.
Newcastle received a danger score of 7.21/10. The authors of the report said not only are roads majorly steep (9.75/10), cyclists stand a relatively high risk of being involved in road crashes as bike accident score averages 8.67/10 - only 0.91 lower than London (the worst-performing city in this regard).
Redemption for Newcastle comes from satisfactory road conditions, with smooth pathways (3/10) and optimal lighting along over 70% of cycling routes.
Meanwhile Sunderland had an overall danger score of 5.17. It has steep routes (10/10), a low average bike accident score of 2.33; a surface quality score of 6.5 and a dim lighting score of 7.5
Table shows: Rank; city; the scores for steepness; average bike accident; surface quality; dim lighting; overall danger
1. Birmingham; 6.25; 6.75; 9.00; 8.75; 7.38
2. Newcastle; 9.75; 8.67; 3.00; 4.50; 7.21
3. Plymouth; 8.00; 6.92; 9.50; 4.75; 7.17
4. Sheffield; 7.75; 8.25; 2.25; 7.75; 7.08
5. London; 3.00; 9.58; 7.75; 1.75; 6.88
17. Sunderland; 10; 2.33; 6.5; 7.5; 5.17
