Great Britain’s riskiest areas for cyclists
New research has revealed Great Britain’s riskiest areas for cyclists.
The study by process safety consultancy Sigma-HSE analysed the latest data from the Department for Transport, which showed reported road casualties by road user type and local authority in Great Britain. It used this data to find the total casualties in each local authority and how many cyclist casualties made up this total as a percentage.
Top 10 riskiest GB areas for cyclists
Rank
Local authority
Region or Country
Total casualties (2024)
Cyclist casualties (2024)
Percentage of casualties involving cyclists
1
City of London
London
184
88
47.83%
2
Islington
London
591
253
42.81%
3
Southwark
London
964
402
41.70%
4
Hackney
London
794
274
34.51%
5
Wandsworth
London
893
302
33.82%
6
Richmond upon Thames
London
382
129
33.77%
7
Lambeth
London
994
313
31.49%
8
Camden
London
723
224
30.98%
9
Westminster
London
1,216
376
30.92%
10
Hammersmith and Fulham
London
588
181
30.78%
The City of London area was found to be the riskiest area for cyclists. In 2024, there were 184 total road casualties, of which 88 were cyclists, giving it the highest cyclist casualty percentage at 47.83%.
Islington takes second on the list, with 42.81% of all casualties on the road being cyclists. 2024 saw 591 total casualties, with 253 being cyclists.
Third on the list is Southwark, where 2024 saw 964 total casualties, and 402 were cyclists, representing 41.70% of all casualties.
Hackney comes in fourth on the list, with 34.51% of total casualties being cyclists. There were 794 total casualties, with 274 being cyclists.
Rounding out the top five is Wandsworth. The area recorded 893 total road casualties in 2024, with 302 being cyclists, representing 33.82% of the total.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Dina Deifalla, Operations Manager at Sigma-HSE said, “While many cities are pushing for greener travel, this data reveals a concerning pattern in major hubs. When nearly half of all road casualties in the City of London involve a cyclist, it is a clear sign that our infrastructure is failing to keep pace with the volume of bike traffic. This is reflected in London’s dominance of the top 10. The high density of heavy goods vehicles, combined with narrow, historic streets, creates a high-pressure environment for anyone on two wheels.”
