Cyclists winning better pay-outs than motorists
CYCLISTS are winning compensation claims worth thousands of pounds, while motorists get just a few hundred quid, new data suggests.
Figures released by Kirklees and Calderdale councils have revealed some stunning sums.
The average payout for a cyclist in Kirklees is some 11 times higher than that for a motorist.
Nine cyclists successfully claimed against Kirklees Council, winning a total of £45,620 – a stunning £5,069 each.
Only 94 motorists won payouts during the same period, 2013 to 2018, worth in total £43,471 or £462 each. In Calderdale, the gap is even bigger. Cyclists claiming against the Halifax based authority won £117,916 compared to only £46,634 in compensation payments to car and van drivers.
The average cyclist payout by Calderdale was a stunning £10,720 while motorists got just £476.
The investigation by charity Cycling UK showed that while potholes can be an inconvenience for motorists, they are more likely to cause injury, and even death, for cyclists.
They said across Britain, pothole compensation claims are costing councils 26 times more in payouts for cyclists than for motorists.
The average compensation payout per motorist was around £339, but councils paid out an average £8,826 per cyclist for incidents involving potholes – with the charity saying cyclists are being killed or seriously injured due to defective road surfaces.
Cycling UK CEO Paul Tuohy said: “Cyclists are running the gauntlet when riding on British roads following a decade of underinvestment leading to the poor state they’re currently in.
“Potholes aren’t just an expensive nuisance, they are ruining lives.” The information was obtained by the charity through a series of Freedom of Information requests to 211 highway authorities across the UK. A total of 156 responded.
The charity asked about the amount of compensation paid to cyclists and motorists, and the number of successful claims made over the financial years 2013/14 and 2017/18.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance estimates after decades of underinvestment in the local road networks it would cost £9.3 billion to repair the damage on British roads. Cycling UK has launched ‘ Pothole Watch’ week from March 3 to 9 to call on the Government to adopt a ‘fix it first’ policy, and invest part of its £25 billion Road Investment Strategy, which is currently ringfenced for the building and maintenance of motorways and trunk roads, into repairing local roads.
“The Government is going to spend £25bn on maintaining and building new motorways, while effectively each year it finds some loose change for the problem of potholes on local roads,” said Mr Tuohy.
“Cycling UK wants Government to adopt a ‘fix it first’ policy. Let’s repair the local roads first – the ones we all use in our cars and on our bikes everyday – before building new motorways.”