Automotive, bicycle and tech industries establish ‘Coalition for Cyclist Safety’

Bosch eBike Systems CEO, Claus Fleischer has shared news that Bosch eBike Systems has joined the new ‘Coalition for Cyclist Safety’ [C4CS] in North America, as a founding member.

Posting the news via his LinkedIn profile, Fleischer outlines that, “C4CS, an alliance consisting of 19 leading innovators in the automotive, cycling and technology industries, will pursue the goal of advancing the development and expansion of a comprehensive vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication ecosystem to improve cyclist safety.”

Reflecting on the announcement, Fleischer points out that, “Bosch eBike Systems are continuously developing products that make eBike riding safer, acknowledging that V2X communication technology holds a lot of potential in that regard.”

“In addition to a safer infrastructure for cyclists, V2X communication technology can offer another important contribution to reducing the number of people injured in accidents in the future, since it could give cyclists digital visibility for other road users.”

“With these benefits in mind, Bosch eBike Systems want to ensure that bikes and eBikes are also integrated in a future V2X ecosystem.”

“This cannot be achieved by one company alone – it requires the cooperation of various stakeholders of different industries working comprehensively towards the same goal. In this regard, the Coalition for Cyclist Safety in the United States and Canada is an important step to drive this topic forward.”

Exploring the announcement, in context of events in the US market

As the announcement points out, “an unprecedented ecosystem of 19 leading innovators in the automotive, bicycle and technology sectors have joined forces to work towards advancing and deploying connected transportation solutions to help reduce the risks facing cyclists and e-bike riders on North American roads.”

What the announcement doesn’t share is that, in the United States, collisions involving motor vehicles and other road users have hit levels not seen since 2005.

“An estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020 and the highest rate since 2005, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation.”

“Compared to 2019, fatality rates have increased 18% — the highest two-year increase since 1946, when crashes increased 37.6% over 1944 levels, according to NHTSA data analysed by CNBC.” The report further highlights that as car have gotten safer, everyone else sharing road space has gotten less safe.

• U.S. traffic deaths reached a 16-year high in 2021, according to government estimates
• NHTSA estimates more than 7,300 pedestrians were killed by motor vehicles in 2021, a 13% increase compared with the previous year

What next? A CIN point of view

With governments seemingly unwilling, or unable, to regulate size and weight of vehicles, combined with the shift to EV seeing far greater accelerative forces (sports car performance in a 2.5 tonne EV) the risk to other road users continues to grown. If nothing else makes the case for investment in dedicated, segregated, cycling and walking infrastructure, this should. Might this happen, as a result of the auto industry moving into a wider ‘mobility’ marketplace?

One thing we can say for sure, the auto industry certainly knows how to effectively lobby governments. Maybe, just maybe, some of that force is brought to bear for the benefit of those not driving. Wishful thinking? Possibly.

Don’t completely discount the impact of a 20mph / 30kph speed limit in transforming transport infrastructure budgets, development, planning, and delivery. The most unlikely of sources might yet turn out to be a cycling David to the auto industry’s Goliath.