A SURGE in the popularity of cycling coupled with inadequate roads and poor road sense have contributed to a dramatic rise in the number of bikers killed or seriously injured on the roads, it is claimed.

Motoring and cycling groups have expressed concerns as the number of cyclists killed or seriously hurt rose 27 per cent to 690 in the first part of 2014, according to Government estimates.

There were 380 deaths on British roads in the first three months of this year, 13 per cent more than in the January-March period last year. The number of cyclists suffering slight injuries rocketed by 43 per cent to 3,830, prompting fears that inexperienced cyclists may be adding to the injury toll.

And as more people take up cycling in the wake of the Tour de France’s Grand Départ coming to Yorkshire last month, it is feared that the casualty list may rise. Yorkshire Post 8th August 2014