Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential safety merits of requiring bells to be attached to new bicycles for (i) pedestrians and (ii) people with hearing impairments; and whether his Department holds data on the potential impact of the removal of that requirement in 2011 on the number of accidents occurring between bicycles and pedestrians.

The Pedal Bicycles (Safety) Regulations 2010 require bicycles to be fitted with a bell at point of sale. Rule 66 of The Highway Code recommends that bells are fitted to cycles, and that people who cycle should always be considerate of other road users, including by calling out or ringing their bell if they have one. The Government does not intend to legislate to make the use of bells on cycles mandatory as there are other ways for people who cycle to warn other road users of their presence.