In the week that the Tour de France departs from Yorkshire, a poll of 3,012 British adults conducted by the BBC revealed that over half of people polled felt it is too dangerous to cycle on their local roads.

According to latest figures from the Department for Transport, 118 cyclists were killed in the UK in 2012; on average one fatality every three days, up from 107 fatalities in total the previous year.

In 2013, six cyclists were killed in London, during the period of just two weeks, igniting serious concerns over the safety of cycling in the London.

Tom Jones, head of policy at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Cycling offers an affordable, enjoyable and environmentally-friendly transport alternative, and yet more than half of the people questioned in the BBC poll do not feel safe cycling on UK roads.

“Rather like in London where Mayor Boris Johnson talks a good talk about cycle safety but does very little beyond staging a few photo calls – the government says it will improve safety standards but it requires commitment and coordination across the UK to make safety improvements stick and give people confidence that cycling is safe.

“At Thompsons, being both cyclists and personal injury specialists, we recognise, from a personal and legal perspective, the joys as well as the dangers of cycling. We see firsthand the devastating consequences of road traffic accidents.

“A number of safety measures will have been set in place to protect the riders departing for the Tour, however it is vital that Britain’s roads are safe not just for the Tour riders but for the hundreds of thousands of cyclists who travel on them every day.”