Action is being called for to halt a rise in cyclist casualties in outer London.

Figures by Transport for London show a 15 per cent rise last year in cyclist casualties in the outer boroughs.

London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow Navin Shah said the rise was a “clear sign that the mayor cannot solely focus safety improvements on inner London”.

It follows the tragic death of 60-year-old Clifton James, who was killed by a collision with a car in Forward Drive, Harrow, last month.

Lobby group Harrow Cyclists has also called for more investment in cycling from Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Labour's Mr Shah said: “Cyclists should be able to use our roads without fear of injury, it’s that simple. The rise in cyclist casualties in outer London is incredibly worrying and shows that with cycling becoming more popular we need to see investment in safety improvements across the capital, not just inner London.

“We have some really promising cycle safety projects, such as the mini-Holland and Cycle Superhighways. Now we need the mayor to be more ambitious and spread these schemes further to boroughs like Harrow, lest outer London be left behind.”

Responding to a question on the issue at City Hall earlier this month, Boris Johnson said: “You are absolutely right in what you say about those statistics in outer London, although of course I should point out that those killed or seriously injured in outer London fell by 11 per cent compared to the previous year.

“There was a rise in slight injuries, which affected the statistics. Overall, last year, as I said, was the safest year on record for cycling.

“What we are doing to increase the safety of cyclists in outer London is all sorts of stuff: the mini-Hollands in particular, and we want to see some more progress on those in some boroughs; we have already discussed the Safer Lorry Scheme, which will be important; cycle safety tips campaign; Operation Safeway; all the things that we are doing to improve the safety of cycling in London.”