Metrolink must take action to make routes safer for cyclists ‘before someone dies’, campaigners have warned.

A new survey carried out by cycling group Love Your Bike has found that 278 cyclists out of 317 had experienced an incident on the tram tracks.

Transport for Greater Manchester has said it had received nine reports in 2013 and 29 in 2014.

But the Love Your Bike survey indicates that 23 incidents were not reported in 2013, 70 incidents were not reported in 2014 and 53 in the first six months of 2015.

The M.E.N last week revealed a couple plan to sue Metrolink after falling from their bikes on tramlines. Mike and Jane Leader came off their bikes near the Cemetery Road Metrolink stop in Droylsden.

Mike, 58, tore a ligament in his shoulder while Jane, 56, broke her arm in two places.

Jane has had to take time off work for treatment and physiotherapy while Mike needed an operation.

The survey found at least 53 cycling incidents around the tracks were not reported just in the first six months of this year.

(Image: Vincent Cole)

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Of the those surveyed in the ‘Metrolink Safety Issues’ survey, 94 per cent said they had felt unsafe when cycling alongside, close to or across tram tracks.

Of people who responded to the questions, 45 per cent said they now take a different route to avoid tramlines while 11 per cent said they cycled less often and three per cent had stopped cycling completely.

In addition, 39 respondents reported that they had ‘witnessed an incident involving someone else cycling alongside, close to or across Metrolink tracks.’

The report found that 44 per cent had fallen off their bikes while cycling along or across the tracks.

And 36 per cent had caught their wheels in the tram tracks.

More than 100 reported damage to their bikes or clothing and suffered minor injuries.

And 25 per cent, said they had suffered major injuries including broken bones and skin cuts.

They claim there is poor signage and that some junctions are not appropriate for cycling - meaning bike wheels can get caught in the tracks.

(Image: Mark Waugh)

Pete Abel of Love Your Bike also feels cyclists are not properly consulted by Transport for Greater Manchester during route planning, meaning on-road tracks are not up to scratch.

He fears it’s ‘only a matter of time’ before Manchester has an incident like the death of Roger de Klerk, 43, who was killed while riding across a junction next to East Croydon train station in London.

Mr De Klerk’s wheels became stuck in the tram tracks, before he was hit by a bus in November 2013.

Pete said: “I really hope to God that in a month or a year’s time we aren’t in the same place saying ‘I told you so’.

“But we are very concerned that some of the locations on the network are really that bad.”

This is a design problem - not the cyclists' fault, say campaigners

Campaigners’ worries revolve around on-road junctions where not enough notice is given to cyclists.

These include Wythenshawe’s South Moor Road and Altrincham Road junction and the junction by the Cemetery Road stop.

Pete Abel of Love Your Bike said: “These results will not help us achieve our ambitions to get more people cycling.

“IT’s so bad that it makes it impossible for cyclists to use the training they are being given by Transport for Greater Manchester.

“You are supposed to ride in the middle of the lane you are travelling in at junctions but the tracks at some places make this impossible unless you are able to bunny hop them - which many people can’t.”

Mr Abel hopes that Metrolink can revisit their design process for future extensions.

He added: “We’ve had discussions with Metrolink alongside British Cycling but they won’t agree there’s a problem.

“We have carried out this survey as a voluntary organisation and we think it’s time TfGM does its own proper survey to look into cyclists’ views.”

Unreported cycle incidents on Metrolink 23 2013 70 2014 53 2015 so far

He said the Second City Metrolink Crossing was also a concern, with fears of how dangerous it will be for cyclists.

He added: “We have talked to engineers who said they wanted to make it cycle-free but were told they couldn’t for political reasons.

“We would rather they didn’t put markings down at all for cyclists as it will encourage them to cycle there when we don’t think it will be safe.”

Mr Abel says there was a trend for cyclists to blame themselves when they experience an incident.

But he added: “People have made your route more dangerous, it’s not your fault. Accepting blame allows TfGM and Metrolink to dodge the issue. They say ‘you should use the pavement or a safe alternative route.

“But you shouldn’t be on the pavement on a bike and many of the alternatives are not safe or suitable or fast enough.”

He added: “People having these falls are not inexperienced naive people, these are experienced cyclists suffering broken bones and needing hospital treatment. We feel this is a design problem."

The Metrolink 'blackspots' for cyclists

(Image: Google)

Ashton New Road

Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton

Manchester City Centre

Oldham town centre

Rochdale town Centre

Salford Quays

Wythenshawe

We welcome any feedback and want to work with cylists, say Metrolink

Metrolink director Peter Cushing said: “We value the relationships we have with local cycling groups and organisations, including Love Your Bike. We often talk to them about locations where Metrolink lines run on the road and provision for cyclists around the Metrolink network in general.

“We welcome any feedback which can help us improve provision for cyclists around the Metrolink network, and to this end look forward to formally receiving the report from Love Your Bike.

“The survey will form part of the discussions within a new TfGM Cycling Group, which we are in the process of setting up as part of our ongoing work to further improve dialogue with cycling organisations.

“The group will consider issues for cyclists related to Greater Manchester transport infrastructure, including the existing Metrolink network and the design of future routes, such as the proposed Trafford Park line.

“It is due to meet in October and will involve senior TfGM officers and councillors and local cycling organisation representatives, including Love Your Bike and Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign.”

'We can't legislate for cyclists who do not heed warning signs and road markings'

Peter Green, area manager for Greater Manchester for the charity Sustrans which designs and builds routes for cyclists, walkers and people with disabilities said: “We welcome this report from Love Your Bike, which provides clear evidence of poorly designed cycle routes over tram tracks.

"We know of several problem junctions which do not meet standards for safety and quality and in many cases there are diversions which are also badly designed and implemented. If we want to become a cycling city we need to make top quality cycle routes that are easy and intuitive to use.”

A Transport for Greater Manchester spokesman said technical experts look at their tram lines where they meet the roads to ensure all road users’ needs are taken into account in line with Office of Rail and Road guidance.

These measures include alternative cycle routes and signage where required. He said that the onus to adhere to the safety measures is on the individual. He said ‘they could not legislate for those who do not heed warning signs and road markings’.

What the cycle campaigners want

• Accept there are cycle safety design issues associated with the Metrolink tram network routes.

• Undertake a junction by junction safety review to assess the design impacts on cycle safety and identify measures to improve the existing tram routes for safer cycling.

• Ensure that any ‘safe alternative’ routes are both convenient to use and meet all of the TfGM cycle guidance design criteria.

• To locate Greater Manchester NHS data for bicycle crash injuries.

• To co-operate with other agencies, such as GMP, hospital trusts and local councils to establish an effective incident reporting and mapping system that encourages people to report and identify areas of concern.

• Include the cycling community / organisations in the design process from an early stage of any future schemes (eg Trafford Park)

• Develop better educational campaigns and training resources such as the Nottingham NET cycle-tram safety video and training course and clearer, more intuitive signage.