TfL release road traffic casualties report promising more 20mph roads

Transport for London (TfL) has published its report on road traffic casualties in the capital during 2022 and promising more 20mph roads to curb future fatalities.

Casualty statistics have been published that show, while progress is being made, the capital has also seen a return to near pre-pandemic levels of the number of people killed and seriously injured on London's roads.

TfL is working closely with London's boroughs, the police and other partners to carry out the work needed to achieve the Mayor's Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury from London's streets by 2041.

Last year was the lowest year on record for fatalities, with 101 people tragically killed on London's roads, excluding 2020 and 2021 which were heavily affected by pandemic related lockdowns and changes in travel patterns.

The number of people killed and seriously injured on London's roads has reduced overall by 38 percent against this baseline, with the number of children killed or seriously injured 63 percent lower than the baseline. This means London is outperforming the national average in this area.

During the pandemic, traffic levels dropped significantly and therefore so did the number of people being killed and seriously injured on London's roads in 2020 and 2021. This makes comparisons between years difficult and 2022 has sadly seen an increase in people killed and seriously injured for all modes. This largely reflects the increase in activity and traffic as London recovered from the pandemic. In 2022, the number of people who were killed or seriously injured increased by 11 per cent, rising from 3,580 in 2021 to 3,974 in 2022.

As expected given the volume of people moving in cars across Greater London, cars continued to be the main vehicle type involved in collisions in 2022, and are the other vehicle involved in 65 percent of all casualties on London's roads. Speeding remains the biggest risk to road users with around half of the 2022 fatal collisions in London (48 out of 99) reporting speed as a contributory factor.

TfL has committed to expanding its lowering speed limits programme, last month launching local engagement on plans to introduce 65km of new 20mph speed limits.

Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said: "Every death or serious injury on our streets is devastating, bringing heartache and tragedy to all those involved. This data shows that while significant progress is being made, further action is needed to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from London's streets. That's why we have accelerated our 20mph speed limit programme, are tightening the Direct Vision Safety standard for HGVs and working with the boroughs to deliver high-quality cycle routes."