To receive the above presentation.

The Forum received a presentation on the Cycling Safety Review, based on an analysis cycling casualties contained in the STATS19 database, which:

·         Only included incidents where the police were in attendance, or where the crash was subsequently reported to the police.

·         Significantly under-reported cyclist casualties. A 2011 study showed that hospital episodes were 3x higher than STATS19 statistics.

·         A small number of incidents did not involve a collision (e.g. one party reports near miss / road rage incident after the event).

The analysis period was 2012 to 2016 (5 years). The total number of crashes was 291, with a total of 299 casualties. The Forum considered a number of statistics relating to casualty numbers, including by severity, over time, by age, by gender, time of day, area, junction type, speed limit, crossing type, road and lighting conditions. The Forum noted that there was a significant increase in slight casualties reported in 2016 compared to previous years, however there was no obvious explanation for this. The two urban areas of Maidenhead and Windsor had the most casualties. In relation to junction type, Luke McCarthy commented that the council’s policy to replace traffic lights with roundabouts may have a negative effect as the majority of casualties were at normal and mini-roundabouts. It was noted however that some of the junction types listed such as crossroads may include traffic lights. The Chairman commented that he had raised the issue of cars giving cyclists necessary space when overtaking with the Chief Constable, who had been very receptive and was keen to take the enforcement approach across the Thames Valley. Andrew Payne commented that there was also an issue when cyclists undertook cars on left hand cycle lanes, as cyclists would be closer than 1.5 metres to the cars.

The STATS19 form allowed for up to four contributory factors to be recorded. These were recorded by the officer attending and were based on their judgement. For crashes involving cyclists in the Royal Borough, the three most commonly recorded contributory factors were:

1. Failed to look properly (177)

2. Failed to judge the other person’s path / speed (61)

3. Careless / reckless / in a hurry (56)

The Forum considered details of accidents at cluster sites around the borough.

In terms of mitigation, cyclists were vulnerable at roundabouts, therefore the best treatment was to avoid the roundabout altogether, by provision of an alternative route or grade-separation. For smaller roundabouts, a segregated peripheral cycle route was an option with cyclist given priority over entries and exits. Many roundabouts already had alternative routes (e.g. Heatherwood, Braywick, Clarence Road, Kings Road and Maidenhead Road roundabouts), but they were less direct or suffered from a lack of priority over side-roads and accesses. Forum attendees commented that telling cyclists to avoid roundabouts was not setting a good precedent and could discourage cycling. Ian Taplin suggested that on-carriageway peripheral routes was an easy solution as it simply required the painting of white lines. The Principal Transport Policy Officer commented that such measures did not reflect current Dutch best practice, where they were being removed. Segregated peripheral cycle routes could only be used on single lane entry roundabouts which were not common in the UK. The Chairman agreed to discuss the idea with the Lead Member for Highways and Transport. Andrew Payne suggested an alternative was to paint cycle images in the middle lane to encourage cyclists to move into the middle or better visibility.

Ian Taplin suggested warning signs on large roundabouts such as Castle Hill and Hibbert Road, which would support prosecution attempts. Where there was a history of accidents on a roundabout, he felt signs would be justified. The Chairman commented that the location of signage was important, so as not to obstruct sightlines.

The Forum noted proposed mitigation measures for specific sites:

Heatherwood roundabout – no mitigation had been identified as there was no clear trend

Drift Road / Fifield Lane – signing improvements were planned.

Braywick roundabout – no mitigation had been identified but the area would be looked at as part of the Local Plan. The A308(M) was a Highways England route so the council had no powers to put up signs. It was suggested that rumble strips would be an option to slow cars.

London Road / Horton Road / The Green – no mitigation had been identified as there was no clear trend.

Majors Farm Road / Ditton Road – tighten radius on south-east corner to reduce vehicle speeds

Castle Hill, Cookham Road and Forlease Road roundabouts – the council is assessing options to help cyclists get between North Maidenhead and the town centre as part of the Missing Links project (i.e. bridge, surface crossings and subway enhancements).

Shoppenhangers Road and Shoppenhangers Road / Cox Green Road roundabout – no mitigation identified. The golf course development may affect traffic on Shoppenhangers Road therefore access arrangements were key. In relation to taxi issues in the area, the Chairman commented that numerous discussions with operators had taken place. The development of the station area was part of the wider regeneration proposals.

Ray Mead Road roundabout – no mitigation had been identified

Cookham Road – no mitigation had been identified as there was no clear trend

Mill Lane roundabout – assessing options including a parallel cycle crossing and junction signalisation

Kings Road roundabout – this has been the subject of a recent safety scheme designed to reduce vehicle speeds at the north-west corner

Thames Street / Datchet Road – assessing options including provision of advanced stop lines and re-design of ‘Theatre Island’ road network.  Steven Shepherd suggested cyclist ‘go first’ lights or an extended cycle path. The Principal Transport Policy Officer commented that the narrow road meant options were limited.

Maidenhead Road / Vale Road – no mitigation had been identified as there was no clear trend

Dedworth Road – no mitigation had been identified as there was no clear trend.

Luke McCarthy highlighted that according to the statistics, just 16% (13 of 82) casualties were the fault of cyclists. Councillor Beer suggested that Project Centre should be asked for their views on schemes being put in place elsewhere in the country. He also commented that many cyclists wore black, the colours of Team Sky, which did not help in terms of visibility.

The Principal Transport Policy Officer commented that officers had looked at the Maidenhead Gateway but it had been difficult to identify what improvements could be added to help cyclists.

In relation to Hibbert Road, it was confirmed that signs would be going up soon. A new contractor had just been appointed who was working through the backlog of schemes.