The West Midlands’ most dangerous roads along which to ride a bike can be revealed as it emerged four cyclists are injured on the region’s streets every day.
In the last three years there were 1,537 injury accidents involving cyclists in the West Midlands, including 12 fatal and 273 with serious injuries.
The A41 Warwick Road was the most perilous route, with 49 cyclists injured in the last three years.
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The deadliest junctions were found to be Pershore Road and Belgrave Middleway, near Birmingham city centre, and Heartlands Parkway and Aston Church Road, in the west of the city, which both saw six crashes involving cyclists.
The toll, revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, has led to calls from biking groups for more cycle lanes – and for more care to be taken by drivers of large vehicles.
Most of the tragedies reported over the .
Deaths include:
* Lorraine Rowson, 50, who was killed in Burton Road, Dudley, after a collision with a lorry on August 8, 2014.
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* Seventy-year-old cyclist Ella Murray was on her bike travelling along Peterbrook Road, in Shirley, Birmingham, when she was hit by a truck, near the junction with Hargrave Road on March 20, 2014.
* On July 11, 2013 George Searle, 74, was knocked off his bike in Stafford Road, Wolverhampton and killed. Kile Straker, of Armstrong Drive, Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while driving an uninsured vehicle, and was jailed for eight and a half years.
* Mother-of-five Muthumanaka Pinhamy, 55, known as Manaka, died in hospital after colliding with a lorry in Speedwell Road, Hay Mills, in October 2013 while cycling to work. Graham Driver was later found not guilty of causing the death of Mrs Pinhamy by careless driving. Giving evidence Mr Driver said he was unaware he had struck Mrs Pinhamy.
* Student Tom Ridgway, from Hall Green, aged 20, was killed in a collision with a van in Streetsbrook Road, Shirley, in June 2012. Later his devastated mum Liz wrote an article in the Post’s sister paper, the Birmingham Mail, about forgiveness. Taxi driver Ichhapal Bhamra escaped with an “insulting” £35 fine and just three points on his licence. He had only been charged with driving without due care and attention, despite carrying Tom’s body for 90 metres on his bonnet, before colliding with a tree.
* In 2012, a 19-year-old died after being hit by a bus in Waterloo Road in Wolverhampton.
The figures do not include the 2,000 accidents which have yet to be loaded onto the system.
Professor David Cox, chairman of council for bikers group CTC, said: “At the moment none of the roads highlighted have good continuous segregated cycle lanes and little else in the way of cycling infrastructure.
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“The main dangers to cyclists are at junctions where drivers pull out without regard to on-coming cyclists, roundabouts, especially big ones, where drivers are busy switching lanes and may not see or have regard to slow moving cycles and the notorious “left hook” from lorry and bus drivers turning left and crushing kerb hugging cyclists.
“Motorists still drive too close when overtaking cyclists and some have little respect for speed limits, advanced stop lines or parking regulations.”
Prof Cox said the £24 million improvements on a number of major corridors supplemented by improved routes through quieter residential neighbourhoods.
He added: “That said, there are very few roads which I avoid like the plague. If I have to go somewhere new, I still tend to use the A-Z and ride there. At present our few cycle routes are not well signed or easy to follow – this should improve.”
PC Steve Hudson of the Safer Cycling Team recently blogged on the subject, highlighting bad behaviour from drivers.
He said: “We have all seen instances where road users, cyclists included, have put themselves in appalling road positions.
“I have seen motor vehicles perform unnecessary overtaking manoeuvres close to junctions and cyclists undertake moving vehicles with no escape plan.
“Bad road use is not the sole property of the motor vehicle, however, the risks are obviously far greater due to the size and weight of a motor vehicle.
“I know there are still a large number of of headphones.
“You wouldn’t cycle with your eyes closed, so why risk it?”