Cyclists demand action on town centre safety

Mar 9 2010 By Vicki Eltis

MORE needs to be done to improve safety for cyclists in town centres says an Elmbridge Cycle Group member.

George James, from Weybridge, said accident statistics show that most incidents occur on the main roads and town centres, an area he says needs to be looked at urgently.

The message comes as a 12-year-old girl got knocked off her bike in Church Street, Walton on Monday (March 8).

The school girl was cycling by St Mary's Church about 7.26am when she was in collision with a blue Volkswagon Golf. She was taken to St Peter's Hospital, in Chertsey, with minor injuries which were not thought to be life-threatening.

Surrey Police closed the road between Pizza Experts takeaway and Road for just over 30 minutes while the road was cleared which caused traffic congestion in the area.

Mr James, who set up Elmbridge Cycle Group, a non-profit group run by cyclists for cyclists, said: "The roads are very congested in this area with no effective provision for cyclists. California is more cycle friendly than this part of Surrey.

"The main problem is that council spending is prioritised on maintaining the roads for motor vehicles. There is nothing being spent to reduce traffic problems by making it more attractive, safer and convenient to travel by other methods such as public transport, on foot, or by bicycle.

"The problem is a lack of cycle lanes on the main roads going from one town to another and the chevrons in some roads, like Oatlands Avenue, which push drivers out to the sides of the roads making it doubly dangerous for cyclists.

"They can be addressed at a very modest cost but without funding and the political will of the council nothing will get done."