A study by experts found †he city to be among the safest for cyclists in the United Kingdom.
According to a study by Claims.co.uk – Nottingham is the third safest city for cycling, receiving a danger score of 3/10. With a bike accident score averaging 0.92/10 – 0.58 lower than Worcester (1.50/10) – suggesting that the city is a safe bet for bike lovers.
Cycling paths around the area are in fairly good condition, with moderate road surface quality (5.25/10), and around 73% of cycling paths with an optimal amount of lighting.
Cycling in the UK has surged by almost 200% since Covid lockdowns. The recent launch of the second cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS2) has outlined the UK’s ambition to make active travel a natural choice for its people.
After scraping over 12,000 cycling routes from a reputable cycling network site, and analysing the number of bike accidents, average steepness, surface quality, and lighting across cycling routes, the experts were able to ultimately assign a danger score for each UK city examined.
A City Council spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that our efforts to encourage more cycling in Nottingham by making it safer and easier are being recognised.
“We have been successfully bidding for external funding for a number of years to improve cycling facilities across the city, resulting in significant increases in cycling.
“We’ve seen how popular segregated cycle lanes like the one on Castle Boulevard are, and are adding more to the network, including through the Broad Marsh area.
“We know from ongoing conversations with local cyclists that we need these sorts of improvements elsewhere, including strengthening north-south cycle routes, which is why improvements are underway on Hucknall Road at the moment, with others in the pipeline.
“There’s also the Citycard Cycle bike hire scheme as well as lots of support for people wanting to gain confidence cycling, including free cycle training from Ridewise.
“Anyone interested in taking up cycling in Nottingham could consider making the most of Cycle to Work Day this Thursday and can find out more about cycling options at www.transportnottingham.com/cycling.”
Claims.co.uk can reveal that Chelmsford is the safest UK city for cycling, earning an overall danger score of only 1.79/10. The number of bike crashes (16) is the second-lowest of all places analysed, being slightly behind Gloucester in fifth (12). Boasting an almost perfect road condition for cyclists, over 73% of paths are well-lit in the city.
Worcester takes second place with a danger score of 2.71/10. Where a few bike crashes have occurred, none reported were fatal, with average bike accident score being only 1.50/10. Despite road lighting usually being dimmer (8/10), bikers will find smooth and flat cycling paths across the city.
• £18 million for bus and cycling improvements in Nottingham
