Portsmouth launches near-miss reporting web page for cyclists

Portsmouth City Council has added an online tool to its website allowing cyclists to record near misses. The News reports that the information gathered will be used to influence future road improvement plans.

The tool, which can be found here, is being trialled until the end of August.

The page states: “Examples of a near miss are, being passed too close, another vehicle pulling in or out across a cyclist’s path, being driven at, and a near left or right hook. This list is not exhaustive however, and what qualifies as a near miss may differ from one cyclist to another – depending on experience and level of confidence. We encourage you to report any incident you feel was a near miss.”

Councillor Simon Bosher, Portsmouth’s cabinet member for traffic and transportation, said: “We believe we are one of the first local authorities in England to encourage and enable cyclists to report near-misses in this way so we are interested to see how the new system is used.

“We all have a duty of care to look out for each other. As the highways authority we are committed to making Portsmouth’s roads safer for cyclists and reduce the number of collisions. Our near-miss system will support our work while empowering cyclists to take action themselves by reporting a near miss.”

Ian Saunders, the chairman of the Portsmouth Cycle Forum, commented: “This will absolutely help to improve cycle safety in Portsmouth. This could have a big knock-on effect on the way the council prioritises future improvements.

“There are so many near-misses that simply go unreported because they are not accidents and there are no serious injuries. This new system will now collect all that missed data and help make Portsmouth’s roads safer.”