THE number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on Notts' roads has halved in just over a decade, new figures reveal.
There were 66 fatal or serious incidents involving cyclists across the county in 2010.
This compares with an average of 125 a year between 1994-98 – the years used as a baseline for Government casualty reduction targets. This is a drop of 47%.
Slight injuries fell by 28% from 374 to 267 in the same period.
Fatal and serious accidents are recorded together at the Government's request because the number of deaths is often so low that a small difference can seem dramatic, which can be misleading when trying to establish trends.
Figures kept by Notts County Council show that the number of cyclists on rural roads rose by 11 per cent between 2005 and 2009, although the numbers on urban roads dropped by six per cent.
Pam Shaw, the council's road safety manager, said: "The reduction in casualties is excellent and we want to continue that.
"Any casualty is one too many and the more we can prevent, the better.
"Cycling is environmentally friendly, healthy and cheap. More people will be taking to their bikes because of fuel costs.
"But pedal cyclists are more vulnerable road users because they haven't got so much around them to keep them safe, so it is about making sure everyone is taking their responsibility.
"If we are trying to encourage people to use sustainable transport, we need to make sure safety measures are in place."
Mrs Shaw said that cycling accidents did not necessarily happen on particular stretches of road and the causes tended to be more "general" than with car accidents.
This is why Notts Road Safety Partnership – which involves the county and city councils, the emergency services and the Highways Agency – has focused more on education as it tries to reduce casualties.
Its approach has included providing on-road Bikeability training to more than 2,000 Notts schoolchildren over the past year, as well as working to raise awareness in primary and secondary schools.
Drivers have also been targeted, with advertising campaigns and roadside signs.
Mrs Shaw said the introduction of more cycle paths and road markings in the city and county had also helped.
And the partnership launched a scheme earlier this month to encourage cyclists to use helmets and wear high-visibility clothing.
Hugh McClintock, of Greater Nottingham cycle campaign group Pedals, welcomed the drop in casualties.
"It is encouraging but, at the same time, we can't be complacent because when you look at the road safety record of various other European countries like Sweden, they have much more ambitious targets," he said.
He called for more 20mph zones and stricter enforcement of speed limits.
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