How often do we hear complaints about ‘irresponsible cyclists’? But what are our responsibilities when we’re travelling by bike or by car in our city? Campaign group Bricycles explain how our first responsibility is to each other’s safety.

Department for Transport figures on reported road casualties between 2016 and 2021 show that 15 pedestrians were killed in collisions with a pedal cycle versus almost 1,500 fatalities caused by cars.

In that same period there were 770 serious injuries to pedestrians caused by people on bikes versus 26,400 caused by cars.

If a person travelling by bike behaves in the most reckless manner, they are operating a vehicle that weighs 7-10 kg for a typical road bike or up to 50kg for an electric cargo bike. If we factor in the average weight of an adult at around 80 kg this is still minimal compared to a family car, such as a Ford Focus, which weighs 1300-1500kg. An SUV can weigh up to a whopping 2,700kg.

The changes to the Highway Code in January 2022 aim to address this with the introduction of the Hierarchy of Road Users, putting ‘those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy’.

If we look beyond safety, what other responsibilities do we hold when travelling around our city? A 2015 study by researchers in Copenhagen looked at the often hidden cost to society of the way we travel in terms of air pollution, climate change, noise, road wear, health and congestion. They found that each kilometre travelled by car cost society €0.15, whereas society actually earns €0.16 for every kilometre cycled.

Public spending on roads in the UK in 2022/23 was £11.13 billion. We are so used to our public spaces being given over to travel by car and parking for private vehicles that many of us are blind to the injustice of this for the 37 per cent of households in Brighton and Hove who don’t even own a car. Imagine the space we could reclaim for trees, green spaces, dining and recreation if we reduced the number of private vehicles on our roads.

Car ownership excludes huge numbers of people or leaves them in debt. On average a new car in the UK costs between £12,000 and £28,000 to buy and £3,000 a year to run. The average price paid for a bike in the UK in 2020, however, was £300 for a standard bike or £1,900 for an e-bike. The main barriers to using bikes as transport are not cost but the fact people feel unsafe due to a lack of protected cycle lanes and have nowhere to safely store their bikes.

When thinking about our social responsibilities this must surely include the impact we have on our planet and local environment. Every journey by car contributes to air pollution. According to Public Health England air pollution kills equivalent to between 28,000 and 36,000 people every year in the UK. ‘It is estimated that between 2017 and 2025 the total cost to the NHS and social care system of air pollutants... will be £1.6 billion’. Electric vehicles are not excluded from this problem with tiny particles from tyres and brakes also contributing to air pollution.

A person on a bike however is contributing no harmful gases to pollute the air and tyre particulates are minimal due to the light weight of even the heaviest electric bike.

Finally, what about our responsibilities to our own health and wellbeing? According to Public Health England ‘physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion annually’. Compared to commuting by car, cycling is associated with a 24 per cent lower chance of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 16 per cent lower chance of dying of cancer.

Travelling by bike is a wonderful way to remain active, healthy and enjoy our beautiful city. It enables us to take control of our journeys, not sitting in traffic jams or feeling harassed by fighting for a parking space.

Can we really say that anyone travelling by bike is behaving irresponsibly? People on bikes are improving their health and that of the planet. They cause less fatalities and serious injuries than people in cars and they cost the taxpayer less money. We have become so used to the costs of private car ownership to society, the environment and our health that we have lost sight of what our responsibilities to each other truly are.

Article written by Bricycles, campaigning to make cycling accessible for everyone in the city of Brighton and Hove.