A new law set to pass which could see 'death by dangerous cycling' punished by 14 years in jail has been blamed for "stoking a culture war".

It was announced yesterday the legislation had passed through the House of Commons following a campaign by Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith who said "cyclists should be accountable for dangerous behaviour".

We spoke to politicians and campaigners in the 'cycling city' of Oxford to hear their response to the new law and whether they think it will have an impact on people's behaviour.

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Green city councillor Emily Kerr, of the St Mary's ward, said: "I don’t think it’s a bad law per se. It’s just incredibly low down the list of things which would make our roads safer.

Oxford Mail: Emily Kerr.Emily Kerr. (Image: Oxford City Council.)

"More pedestrians are killed by cows than by cyclists, and what we really need to do is look at the data and address the actual causes of harm.

"The Tory government has promised - and failed - to look at new laws for hit and run offenders, establish a road crash investigation bureau, and undertake a full review of motoring offences.

"Any of these would have a more significant effect on road crime, and yet the Tories are yet again wasting time stoking a culture war."

Dr Alison Hill, chairwoman of Cyclox - which describes itself as 'the voice of cycling in Oxford' - added: "For a start, one should condemn any bad road-user behaviour.

"But this is a tiny, tiny problem compared to people who suffer at the hands of reckless road drivers.

Oxford Mail: Dr Alison Hill.Dr Alison Hill. (Image: Contribution.)

"It seems an unnecessary diversion but obviously something the government feels is important."

Dr Hill cited a statistic repeated by Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman this morning (May 16) on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured every year due to motor vehicles but there are just three incidents involving cyclists.

Addressing MPs, Iain Duncan Smith said of the new legislation: "The amendment, I believe, will achieve equal accountability, just as drivers are held accountable for dangerous driving that results in death, cyclists, I think, should face similar consequences for reckless behaviour that leads to fatalities.”

We approached Independent Oxford Alliance councillor David Henwood for his perspective, coming from a party whose candidates have campaigned against restrictions on cars in the city.

Oxford Mail: David Henwood.David Henwood. (Image: Oxford City Council.)

Mr Henwood said: "The only instance I know of where a cyclist actually killed a pedestrian happened about three or four years ago when the cyclist was riding a non-geared bike with no front brakes.

"Yes, there has to be legislation - but 14 years does seem to be excessive.

"I think this does need a review but we need to be very sensitive how we introduce legislation in this area.

"We are starting to see some electric bikes that are incredibly fast - there has to be some governance and regulation on that."

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About the author

Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county. 

She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.

Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi