Uneasy riders as cyclists rattled by steep rise in deaths Riding a bike is looming as a new wave health hazard with three cyclists killed around Sydney suburbs in the past three weeks. A woman and two men, all aged in their 40s, died after being clipped by vehicles or falling off their bikes and suffering head injuries. NSW is the most dangerous state in Australia to ride a bike. Fifteen cyclists have died on the road this year, eight more than in all of 2012. Nationally 46 cyclists have been killed, compared with 32 last year. The sad toll is unsurprising. Cycling's popularity is at historic highs and it is a culture dominated by blokes - men outnumber women at a rate of almost two to one - and bike riders have never suffered such public odour as they struggle to establish their right to the crowded roads. A New York Times opinion piece last Monday by Daniel Duane provocatively titled "Is It OK to Kill a Cyclist?" caught an American conflict being duplicated on Sydney's roads. Every time I drive my car through San Francisco, I see cyclists running stop signs like immortal, entitled fools. So I understand the impulse to see cyclists as recreational risk-takers who deserve their fate," Duane wrote. So here's my proposal: Every time you get on a bike, from this moment forward, obey the letter of the law in every traffic exchange everywhere to help drivers (and police officers) view cyclists as predictable users of the road who deserve respect. And every time you get behind the wheel, remember that even the slightest inattention can maim or kill a human being enjoying a legitimate form of transportation. That alone will make the streets a little safer, although for now I'm sticking to the basement and maybe the occasional country road. There are differences between commuter cyclists and recreational riders but the reality is they all ride a road network built for car usage alone, with motorist anger regularly whipped up by a hostile media. Tracey Gaudrey, president of the Amy Gillett Foundation (named after the Australian competition cyclist killed in Germany in 2005) said recent deaths had devastated the broader cycling community. While participation is rising, so are serious injuries and fatalities - at a higher rate," she said. Cycling is a mainstream form of active transport and recreation. The human trauma costs of bicycle riding are unacceptable. "Substantial commitment to change is needed to achieve our vision for zero bicycle rider fatalities, in line with the NSW and national road safety targets," Ms Gaudrey said. The National Cycling Participation Survey 2013 found more than 3.6 million people ride bikes each week. One in 10 adults had ridden a bike in the previous week. However, a Heart Foundation survey showed close to half the parents questioned did not believe it was safe for children to ride a bike to school. The popularity of cycling suffered a dip in the 1980s and '90s as governments made helmets mandatory but in the past decade bikes have outsold cars. Riders are trying to get ahead of the curve. There are a number of cyclist-generated websites listing "black spots" for cyclists, and riders have recently established their own political party. The Australian Cyclists Party has signed up 1400 members - 860 in NSW - since it was set up last month. Party founder Omar Khalifa said it was an attempt to put cycling on the political agenda. "Politicians are good at giving lip service but they lose interest as soon as an issue dies down," he said. There'll be a lot of publicity this week because of the deaths and while you cannot blame the fatalities on a specific, it is clear that over the years politicians have neglected to do anything much about road safety as it affects cycling, even though it's now very mainstream and an accepted part of everyday life.