‘Inconsiderate’ London road users targeted to ‘change behaviour’ in fresh Vision Zero commitments
New commitments by Transport for London include a 20mph speed limit on 220km of the capital’s road network by 2024 and enhanced support for victims of road traffic collisions
Transport for London (TfL), in partnership with London Councils and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), has published a progress report that highlights the scale of the Vision Zero challenge in London and commits to new tougher measures which will attempt to eliminate death and serious injury from London's roads by 2041.
New TfL research, carried out by market research firm YouGov, shows that 71 per cent of Londoners think road users are not as considerate to others as they should be, while only 9 per cent of people admit to not being as considerate as they could be themselves. The survey also showed that 28 per cent of Londoners believe that road users have become more inconsiderate since the pandemic, compared to 11 per cent who believe they have become more considerate.
TfL will launch a new communications campaign to challenge a deep-rooted culture in which some Londoners still believe that death and serious injury on our streets is inevitable. Advertising will run on TV and in cinema, alongside roadside posters.
Despite progress, 96 people were killed and 2,974 people suffered serious injuries in 2020 on the capital's roads.
However, London has seen deaths and serious injuries fall faster than the national average with the number of people being killed or seriously injured reducing by 52 per cent in 2020 against the Government's 2005-09 baseline.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "Each and every death or serious injury on London's roads is a tragedy for those affected and their loved ones. I refuse to accept these terrible incidents are inevitable, which is why I am so keen to intensify the work we are already doing to reduce the number of deaths on our roads.
"This report contains bold and ambitions plans to change the way we use London's roads, with lower speed limits being introduced and more collaboration with London boroughs to improve dangerous junctions. But we are also looking to change people's behaviour, with the campaign launched today challenging people's views around road culture to make our roads safer for all, particularly more vulnerable users like pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
"We have already made some good progress - but we cannot be complacent. There is still much more to do to eradicate deaths and serious injuries from our streets."
