Preston is the sixth most dangerous UK city to cycle in, according to new research.
Personal injury lawyers Claims.co.uk scraped over 12,000 cycling routes from a reputable cycling network site.
They then analysed the number of bike accidents, average steepness, surface quality, and lighting across cycling routes, to assign a danger score for each UK city examined.
While Chelmsford was named the safest city with an overall danger score of 1.79/10, Birmingham was named the most dangerous with 7.38/10.
Preston came in at sixth most dangerous, scoring 6.79/10.
Preston cyclists are particularly likely to suffer from poorly-maintained road surfaces (8.5/10), which could contribute to the city’s relatively high bike accident score of 7.08/10.
Read more: In defence of Preston’s cyclists
The list of the UK’s ten most dangerous cities for cycling is below.
Rank | City | Steepness score (/10) | Average bike accident score (/10) | Surface quality score (/10) | Dim lighting score (/10) | Overall danger score (/10) |
1 | Birmingham | 6.25 | 6.75 | 9.00 | 8.75 | 7.38 |
2 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 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 |
6 | Preston | 5.25 | 7.08 | 8.50 | 5.75 | 6.79 |
7 | Manchester | 4.75 | 8.58 | 6.25 | 3.00 | 6.63 |
8 | Stoke-on-Trent | 8.25 | 4.50 | 5.50 | 9.50 | 6.13 |
9 | Bristol | 7.25 | 6.67 | 4.00 | 5.25 | 6.08 |
10 | Brighton and Hove | 8.75 | 6.00 | 4.50 | 2.75 | 5.67 |
Cycling in the UK has surged by almost 200 per cent since Covid lockdowns, and is showing no signs of slowing.
Work is underway to encourage more cycling in Preston through the Transforming Friargate North and Ringway scheme.
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