Motorcycles no danger to cyclists, claims report

Motorcycles are less hazardous to cyclists than pedestrians or fixed objects such as lampposts, according to a new report.

The claim that we present a danger to cyclists has been used by road safety groups calling on Government to ‘downsize’ motorcycles with power and speed caps. But the new report, called Fact or Fiction?

Three Urban Myths about Motorcycling, says that only two cyclists were killed in collisions with motorcyclists in four years. It says eight times as many cyclists were killed hitting fixed objects and twice as many hitting pedestrians.

Written by a motorcyclist-run ‘transport think tank’ called Two Wheels Better, it also counters claims that motorcycles cause more pollution than cars.

Get next week’s MCN, on sale Wednesday, October 31, 2007  to see how cyclists have reacted.