Eight out of 10 cyclists say motorists are making them feel unsafe on Britain's roads and 25% claim to have suffered 'road rage' attacks, a study has found.

The research found that 85% of riders felt conflict existed between themselves and other road users, with drivers unsurprisingly the biggest threat to their safety.

In addition to a quarter of those polled claiming they had suffered personal attacks over the past year, 77% questioned by the national cycling charity CTC said drivers showed them a lack of respect.

Glasgow City Council has recently appointed former sports minister Frank McAveety as a cycling tsar to attempt to improve the lot of riders using the Commonwealth Games host city.

The survey found that of 500 regular cyclists, the biggest problem is the public attitudes towards them.

More than a quarter said they had experienced drivers swearing at them from their vehicle. In seven per cent of cases, riders reported objects having been thrown at them and one in 20 had been pushed off their bike.

Gordon Seabright, chief executive of the UK's cycling charity, CTC, said: "Cycling is great for individuals and the whole country, but far too many people are put off cycling because they feel it isn't safe."

Glasgow City Council hopes to make cycling its biggest participatory activity by 2020.