Cyclists ride into trouble in the Dales

Accident rates soar as riders aiming to emulate professionals come unstuck on rural roads

Amateur cyclists visiting the Yorkshire Dales are being warned that they might be putting their lives at risk. New figures reveal that the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured has risen sharply following the popularity of the Tour de France opening stage that was hosted in the region in 2014.

WHEN the professional riders of the Tour de France rode through rural Yorkshire in 2014, hordes of amateur cyclists were quick to follow in their path. But now councillors are warning that bike lovers visiting the Dales might be putting their lives at risk.

The advice comes as new figures reveal that the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured went up nearly 90 per cent in the North Yorkshire region of Richmondshire in 2016, compared to the average for the previous four years.

Local councillors have raised fears that the popularity of Richmondshire, after it hosted the Grand Depart, the opening stage of the tour, in 2014, has resulted in cyclists who are unfamiliar with country roads overstretching themselves and riding into trouble. East Richmond councillor Louise Dickens said: “Rural life is very different to living in the city and with the influx of cyclists it’s clear that the challenges out here are different and people aren’t as fit as they think they might be.

“People who come out to the countryside think it’ll be a nice country ride, but it’s hard work. These are steep, winding roads. I do think that those coming to enjoy our roads do need to be aware of how difficult they can be, you’re not in the Tour de France.”

A North Yorkshire County Council meeting heard that there had been a fall in incidents for every category of road user in the district, apart from cyclists.

The council’s Annual Road Casualty Report revealed that while the number of people killed or seriously injured on the district’s roads fell by 17 per cent in 2016, compared to the average for the previous four years, there had been an increase of nearly 90 per cent for cyclists over the same period.

Yvonne Peacock, the leader of Richmond council, added: “Our roads can be dangerous, the roads are getting more congested and people aren’t familiar with the lay of the land here if they’re visiting, which can be a hazard.”

Since Yorkshire hosted the Grand Depart, cycling groups have reported memberships growing year on year and in 2016 the number had swollen to 11,914. Department for Transport records for North Yorkshire show in 2005 there were 34 cyclists killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads.

In the three years before the Grand Depart, the number had risen to 186 and in the three years after to 246.

Following the county council meeting, work is now expected to commence to identify accident hotspots in the area.

Richard Marr, the North Yorkshire area highways manager, said: “There is work going on to see if there is anything different we can do from a highways authority perspective to deal with that. If there were a lot of accidents on a bend, we might look at whether a surface is too slippery.”