Some of you may have seen a recent news item about a road safety report which suggested Reading was the most dangerous place for cyclists outside of London: https://tinyurl.com/3frdp66k
Whilst we would query the way the data has been interpreted in the report (for example comparisons with similar areas rather than Manchester or central London would be more relevant), the data does nevertheless highlight a road safety issue for cyclists in Reading.
The report’s conclusion states that out of 277 total road casualties in Reading in 2024, 80 involved injuries to a cyclist, meaning that almost 30% of all road crashes involved a cyclist, even though cyclists typically represent around 2% of total road traffic.
This means that cyclists are at a disproportionately higher risk of an injury crash compared with other road users.
There are several reasons for this, but Cycling UK has highlighted a national issue: when cycling conditions are inconsistent, cyclists’ risks increase.
Safety is a critical issue for cyclists. Whilst cycling is now safer than most people think, concerns about safety are a significant deterrent to existing cyclists, and also a discouragement to others considering taking up cycling.
Cycling should feel safe and accessible for everyday journeys. Too often the network is fragmented, and cyclists are forced to use heavily congested or fast main roads or poorly designed junctions.
This all contributes to Reading having this high number of injury collisions involving cyclists.
High risk casualty sites in Reading include:
- Vastern Road/Reading Bridge roundabout
- Caversham Road/Vastern Road roundabout
- Cemetery Junction
- IDR roundabouts
- Oxford Road/Norcot Road roundabout
- Oxford Road/Chatham Street
- Oxford Road/Salisbury Road
- Oxford Road/Beresford Road
What can be done?
Firstly, we would encourage cyclists involved in collisions to always report them to the police so that crashes are always recorded.
Secondly, let us (RCC) know the details of crashes via the Incident Reporting page on our website: https://tinyurl.com/2pupmh9h or even locations where cyclists feel unsafe. We can then discuss safety measures for these sites with Reading Borough Council.
We can also provide advice to any cyclist involved.
Tony Carr
RBC Campaigner for RCC
