The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) has welcomed the Manchester-based initiative where 180 cyclists are trialling the use of a combined bike light and road condition monitor.
Developed by See.Sense, the monitor uses sensor-derived data that make the light flash more brightly and quickly at risky situations such as busy junctions or roundabouts. It also crowdsources data on the road surface condition and records near- miss potential accidents. The aim is to increase safety by collecting road environment and condition data for analysis by CityVerve, Manchester’s Internet of Things (IOT) smart city consortium.
The decline in the state of road surfaces is one of the main factors behind a significant increase in the numbers of cyclists being killed or seriously injured according to the CTC, the national cycling charity. Statistics from the Department for Transport show that in the year ending March 2015 3,410 cyclists were killed or seriously injured compared with 3,383 a year earlier. A further 16,760 cyclists were slightly injured. Commenting on the figures, CTC said that the rise in deaths and injuries was due to an increase in traffic, rising number of cyclists and the continued deterioration in road surfaces.
“This initiative is to be applauded. The data gathered by the cyclists should prove useful in providing a true picture of the state of Manchester’s roads”, said Howard Robinson, RSTA Chief Executive.
He continued: “Cyclists are amongst our most vulnerable road users. For them a deterioration in the road surface can result in serious, life-changing injuries. There is currently a £12.1 billion backlog of local road maintenance. Despite the government providing £6 billion to maintain local roads over the next six years, the backlog, continued cuts in funding and the ever increasing use of roads means that local councils are fighting a losing battle and find it difficult to keep pace with the level of road repairs required.”