London bike hire vehicles in accidents with cyclists

Vehicles which carry rented bicycles around London have been involved in collisions with four cyclists over the past six months, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

Forty lorries vans and cars are used to ensure users of the hire scheme do not find empty docking stations.

These were involved in 24 "incidents", with damage such as scratches or dented wing mirrors in nine cases.

There were no serious injuries, "just scratches to vehicles", TfL said.

"There have been just four very minor collisions involving Serco distribution vehicles and cyclists since Barclays Cycle Hire launched six months ago," said a spokesman.

"Although it is, of course, unfortunate that any incidents have occurred, in the context of several hundred journeys these vehicle make each day and the half a million daily cycle journeys made on London's roads, we believe Serco have a good record of safety."

The details were revealed in a Freedom of Information request by a journalism student at City University in London.