A POSTER campaign aimed at improving safety for cyclists has been extended to Bradford as the number of injury accidents rise.

The campaign uses a series of practical tips to remind motorists and cyclists of the rules of the road and the actions they can take to help reduce collisions.

It has been previously run in five areas with the highest rates of traffic collisions involving cyclists - and this year it has been extended to a further seven cities with high cyclist casualty figures, including Bradford.

Figures provided by the Department for Transport show that in the Bradford district in 2013 there were 123 pedal cycle casualties with 29 of these leading to fatal or serious injuries to the cyclist.

But provisional figures released by Bradford Council yesterday show that in 2014 there were 130 pedal cycle injuries, an increase of slightly under six per cent on the previous year, although there was a reduction in the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured down by 31 per cent to 20.

Over the past three years the trend across the district has been to see an increase in the the number of casualties but a decrease in severity - in contrast to the picture across West Yorkshire which has seen both increase.

Councillor Val Slater, executive member for transport at Bradford Council, welcomed the campaign, but added that she was not aware the figures for the district were of particular concern.

She said: "We welcome anything that helps us cut down on casualty figures for any type of road user.

"I am not aware that the cyclist casualty figures are too high in Bradford.

"The numbers of cyclists in the district have increased due to initiatives taking place to get more cyclists on the roads, and I know there are difficulties of correctly collecting the figures for the number of cyclists."

She added that work on a £29 million scheme to create a cycling super-highway between Bradford and Leeds, would bring additional safety measures for cyclists using the 'highway to health'. The CityConnect project involves a path segregated from the traffic to improve safety for cyclists.

Diggers moved in at the Thornbury gyratory, Church Bank and Dick Lane in Bradford at the end of January to create the path, which is being funded by the Department for Transport, Bradford and Leeds councils and transport body Metro.

As part of the project, 14 miles of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath is being upgraded between Shipley and Kirkstall. And the funding will also be used to create 20mph zones along the City Connect route.

Ginny Leonard, of CityConnect, said that construction work was going well and that the project was expected to be completed by the end of the year.

"Its ambition is to provide a segregated route for the whole of the length, which will offer a safe place for cyclists of any age and ability to ride," she added.