The deaf pensioner says she is worried nothing will improve, after being struck by an unidentified cyclist (Picture: Shutterstock)

Deliveroo and UberEats are under increasing pressure to make their cyclists use number plates after a pensioner was struck by an untraceable rider.

The calls to ‘increase accountability’ come after an 85-year-old deaf pensioner was struck by an ‘untraceable cyclist’ who rode away.

The elderly resident, who has asked not to be named, was struck on a pedestrianised high street and says it is ‘fraught with danger’, as six food delivery cyclists speed past every ten minutes.

Gill Gower, the Labour councillor for Westgate, Kent, is calling for number plates to make it easier to track delivery cyclists whose ‘reckless riding endangers pedestrians’.




She said: ‘I appreciate the cyclists are under enormous time pressure.

‘But they’re quite often cycling on the pavement, cycling without lights, and cycling in a generally reckless behaviour.

‘It’s very difficult to describe a cyclist who is wearing a hood or helmet and travelling at speed.

The calls for delivery cyclists to have number plates on their bikes are designed to increase ‘accountability’ (Picture: 2017 Getty Images)

‘If you can actually say “this is this person”, it makes it much easier to call them into account.’

Councillor Gower said visible ID numbers fixed to cyclists or bikes would enable pedestrians to report dangerous riders.

The elderly resident, from Canterbury, Kent, says she was struck on the ‘back of her hand’ as the rider ‘passed and staggered’.

She added: ‘I shouted to him to stop. He looked round at me, but stood on his pedals and accelerated away towards Westgate.’

Canterbury city council says it also wants delivery companies to wear reflective gear to ‘make them more reflective’ (Picture: Bloomberg)

The firms are alleged to have told the pensioner’s daughter that ‘nothing could be done’, without the description of the cyclist or the exact time of the incident.

Earlier this year, Canterbury city council wrote to food delivery companies to highlight the issue of irresponsible cycling, but the elderly victim said the issue has not improved.

The pensioner added: ‘Currently, any walk down the High Street and St Peter’s Street is fraught with danger.

‘My last count at lunchtime was six food delivery cyclists in ten minutes.

‘Apart from the elderly like me, there is also considerable danger to toddlers with their mothers, in what is a pedestrianised zone.’

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The council says it will now write to delivery companies about the number plates, urging them to ensure that their cyclists also wear reflective gear, to make them more visible at night.

A spokesperson for Deliveroo said: ‘Road safety is of utmost importance to us and we operate a zero tolerance policy towards any riders who are found to have broken the law.

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‘As part of our commitment to road safety, we make hyper visible kit – designed to ensure riders can be seen by all road users – available to every rider free of charge. Free helmets are also available to all cyclists.

‘We would ask people to share any complaints with us so that wherever possible, we can use our technology to identify whether a Deliveroo rider was involved in an incident and take action.’



An Uber Eats spokeswoman said: ‘The safety of customers, couriers and the general public is a top priority for Uber Eats. To use the app, all couriers have to follow the local road laws and anyone found to be driving dangerously will have their access to app removed.’

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