E-bikes' popularity blamed for rise in injuries by cyclists

A RECORD number of people were injured by cyclists last year with the rise in the use of e-bikes being blamed.

- BY MATTHEW DAVIS

Last year 603 pedestrians were hit and one died

There were 603 pedestrians struck by bikes in 2024, which equates to 11 incidents every week on average. Of these, one accident was fatal and 188 people suffered broken bones and other serious injures.

A year earlier 507 people were hit by bikes with four killed and 185 seriously injured, while 462 were injured in 2022, with no fatalities but 164 people seriously hurt.

Experts have attributed the rise in incidents to the popularity of battery-powered bikes that travel at higher speeds than human-powered ones, particularly in delivering takeaway food and groceries to homes.

During the past decade 25 pedestrians have been killed in accidents with cyclists and another 1,471 seriously injured. The latest figures for incidents in Britain come just months after the authorities in New York slapped a 15mph speed limit on e-bikes because of fears for pedestrians' safety.