Cycle to Work Day 2025

Action in tandem: claims by and on behalf of British Cycling members 

At Leigh Day, we are proud to be British Cycling (BC's) legal partner. BC are the national governing body for cycle sport in Great Britain and have been spearheading success in the Olympics and other international events over multiple cycle disciplines. In combination with this they are actively promoting the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits (not to forget the out and out joy) that come with riding a bike.  

Participation (and joy!) 

In May, my team and I joined a three-day 350km cycle across Northern Italy in support of the Spinal Injuries Association and the work they do supporting people to live life to the full after spinal injury, and last month, I took part in Dunwich Dynamo 2025 with Leigh Day’s Rory McCarron riding 180km from London to the Suffolk Coast (Rory road home too!). This week Leigh Dayers across our offices joined morning rides to celebrate national Ride to Work Day.

But our bikes aren’t just an outside of work hobby, back in the office, cycling is at the front of our minds too. Our team includes individuals who have raced across Europe in ultra long distance cycling events and toured both the UK and the world. We have a genuine connection to the cycling world and it’s why we understand deeply that the safety of cyclists must be paramount. We pride ourselves on combining our legal expertise with the love of cycling we share with British Cycling members.  

In just two years, we’ve supported more than 1,000 cyclists across England to achieve justice. We’ve supported those who have come off their bikes to secure rehabilitation and interim payments, invariably enabling them to get back to cycling and recovering substantial amounts of compensation. 

Action for national cycle reform

Our partnership with British Cycling goes beyond the individual members, to campaigning for reforms which can benefit every rider nationwide. 

Calling for urgent change to address barriers preventing many people from walking, wheeling and cycling, Leigh Day and British Cycling co-sponsored this year’s All-Party Parliamentary Cycling and Walking Group report on social justice in active travel. The report made nine key recommendations, including tackling pavement parking and providing stable, long-term funding for grassroots organisations.

Meanwhile, Leigh Day is working to raise awareness of the fact that it is cyclists and pedestrians who are most at risk of serious injury or death on our roads, while emphasising that all road users must comply with the Highway Code as Westminster continues to moot the idea of introducing a new offence for causing death by dangerous cycling. 

Another All-Parliamentary Group report, co-sponsored by Leigh Day and Roadpeace, will look at criminal sentencing. The report will be released in October, focusing on fatal incidents where people are convicted of causing death by dangerous and careless driving and will consider whether sentencing guidelines are being applied consistently across the criminal justice system. 

Taking a firmwide perspective 

Beyond the cycling team, work is being done throughout Leigh Day which has a significant impact on cyclist and pedestrian safety and participation. 

Rowan Smith in the environment team brought a successful judicial review on behalf of Transport Action Network over a government decision in March 2023 to reduce its budget for active travel by £200m. 

The Court of Appeal ruled the decision to cut the walking and cycling funding was unlawful, and the current government is now looking at this decision and reviewing its expenditure commitments on active travel to encourage cycling and walking with an eye on national air pollution targets. 

Ryan Bradshaw in the human rights team also successfully challenged a decision to put in place barriers across cycle paths in Greater Manchester which make it impossible for many disabled riders and wheelchair users to access these paths. 

A safer London

In 2024, 110 people died on London’s roads, 15 more than in 2023. Official figures show these incidents have a disproportionate impact on cyclists and pedestrians. 

To try to tackle the danger of travelling on London’s roads, we are working with The Metropolitan Police, Action Vision Zero and other campaigning organisations which aim to reduce serious injury and fatalities. 

Community group Save our Safer Streets, represented by Leigh Day lawyer Ricardo Gama, have been campaigning since 2022 over a decision to remove low traffic neighbourhoods in Tower Hamlets. 

At the local government level  

The poor condition of many roads in the city and countryside alike is the subject of much debate amongst drivers and cyclists alike. However, whilst cars can be damaged by poor road surfaces cyclists are really at the sharp end with many people coming off when hitting potholes or roads that are degraded.  Pursuing cases against councils and highway authorities in respect of defective roads can be particularly difficult to win because the duty to maintain them is qualified not absolute. However, where there are good legal arguments to be made, Leigh Day has been pushing such cases to trial and achieving success. 

We also have successfully brought cases in relation to the design and safety of road and cycle lane layout. Within the firm, we also continue to pursue cases surrounding the obligations of councils and park authorities to grit surfaces where there is a risk of ice. 

Cyclists for cyclists

As the official legal partners of British Cycling, we believe it is crucial that the work we take on to promote greater access to safe cycling, as showcased above and alongside countless other groups, is taken by lawyers who are themselves passionate riders. 

We are privileged not only to represent the members of British Cycling, but to share their perspectives and understand first-hand the challenges they face on the roads as well as having the opportunity to campaign to improve things for all cyclists.