Safety drive tells cyclists in Portsmouth to '˜brighten up and stay alive'
Last night about 100 riders were stopped in one of Portsmouth’s busiest roads during rush hour as part of the ‘Be Bright’ cycle initiative.
Led by Portsmouth City Council’s road safety team and backed by the police, the scheme aims to raise awareness of the risks of not having lights fixed to bikes at night.
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Hide AdA team spoke to about 100 people in London Road, North End, as part of an intense week-long drive, which has seen almost 700 people given key safety tips.
PCSO Heidi Johnston, of Portsmouth Central police station, was part of the night.
She said: ‘Having a light can make a huge difference to a cyclist’s safety.
‘We 100 per cent want to avoid serious injury. Not having a light could cause a death and that is something we want to deter.’
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Hide AdAs well as being told about the safety effort, riders were also given free hi-viz jackets, lights and bells.
Angus Gueterbock, 17, of Southsea, was riding with friends Michael Azulay-Canares, Benjamin Dawson and Ryan Azulay-Canares.
They all had lights on their bikes. Angus said: ‘This is a great idea. Having lights can really save lives.’
Over the past three years, Portsmouth City Council has spent £2m on cycle routes in the city. This includes improving road junctions on busy streets and cycle lanes.
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Hide AdIt comes after the city was named as the worst place, outside London, for cycle safety in a recent study,
Ollie Willcock, senior safety officer at the council, said: ‘We don’t hide from the fact that we have high casualty figures for cyclists in the city,’ he said. ‘We have been reducing them. Since 2011 we have seen a significant reduction.
‘There’s work still to do but we’re heading in the right direction.’
The operation will continue until the New Year.