YORK has been ranked as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the UK, according to a new study.

Experts at Claims.co.uk scraped over 12,000 cycling routes from a reputable cycling network site and analysed the number of bike accidents, average steepness, surface quality and lighting across cycling routes, to ultimately assign a danger score for each UK city examined.

York was ranked 8th in the top 10 cities for cyclists, scoring an overall danger score of 3.33/10. The city has a 2/10 steepness score and an average bike accident score of 3.42/10.

York's surface quality score came in at 1.5/10 - while the area's dim lighting score was 6.25/10.

The results of the study show Chelmsford as the safest UK city for cycling, earning an overall danger score of only 1.79/10. The number of bike crashes is the second-lowest of all places analysed, being slightly behind Gloucester in fifth. Boasting an almost perfect road condition for cyclists, over 73 per cent of paths are well-lit in the city.

Meanwhile Birmingham was ranked as the most dangerous for cycling, as the city racks up an overall danger score of 7.38/10. Bikers in the city are most likely to suffer from poorly-maintained road surfaces and steep pathways.