At sites monitored on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN), collisions involving a vulnerable road user have decreased by 36 per cent, while collisions resulting in death or serious injury have decreased by 25 per cent after speed limits were lowered
- Lower speed limits play a critical role in the Mayor's Vision Zero plan toeliminatedeath andserious injuryfrom the transport network
- People hit by a vehicle at20mphare around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph
Transport for London (TfL) has released new data that showsa significant reduction inthe number of collisionssince the implementation of20mphspeed limitson key roads in London.Lowering speed limits is a key part of the Mayor's Vision Zero goal toeliminatedeath andserious injuryfrom London's transport networkand to enable more walking and cycling in the capital.
Monitoringof the20mphschemes in London showsthatsince they were introduced,the number ofcollisionshasreduced by 25per cent(from 406 to 304),and collisions resulting in death orserious injuryhave reduced by 25per cent(from 94 to 71),demonstratingthehuge impactof lowering speeds across London.Vulnerable road users continue to be most at risk on London's roads,butsince the20mphspeed limits have been introduced,collisions involvingvulnerable road usershavedecreased by 36per cent(from 453 to 290),while collisions involvingpeople walkinghave decreased by 63 per cent (from 124 to 46).
In March 2020, TfL introduced a20mphspeed limit onall ofits roads within the central London Congestion Charging zone as part of its Vision Zero commitment toeliminatedeath andserious injuryon the capital's roads by 2041.Currently over half of London's roads have a20mphspeed limit,of which almost110kmis onTfL'snetwork.TfL is now working to lower speeds on220kmof its roads by 2024 in inner and outer London andplans to introduce a new20mphspeed limit on over28kmof roads in Camden, Islington, Hackney, TowerHamletsand Haringeyin March.
Collision data from around the world shows that the speed at which people are driving or riding is the single mostimportant factorin whether a collision takes place and how severely people are injured.In 2020, speed was a contributing factor to 48 per cent of fatal collisions.Since the20mphspeed limits have been introducedacross London, there havebeen reductions of 1.7-5mph across most sites surveyed.Analysis of journey times, traffic flows and speeds suggest that the 20mph speed limit has not increased congestion and TfL will be undertaking further quantitative analysis to assess the impact on smoothing traffic flows.
The new speed limits havealsomadealarge portionof Londonsaferforpeople tolive, work andcommute,encouragingmore Londonersout of their cars to walk, cycle and use public transport.Morepeoplenowuse healthier and more sustainable forms of travelwhich isvital to reducing congestion and air pollution.
TfL is working with the Met Police to increase their capacity to take enforcement action against drivers and riders who speed. They are currently on target tobe able totake actionon a million speeding offences by 2024.In 2021/22, the Met enforced 476,685 speeding offences,an increase of 72 per cent compared to the previous year.
Will Norman, London's Walking & Cycling Commissioner, said: "I'm delighted to see that the introduction of 20mph speed limits is having such a positive impact on the number of collisions on London's roads; this forms an important part of the Mayor's Vision Zero plan. I look forward to the continued expansion of this programme on TfL roads and to working with colleagues in boroughs to make even more streets safer for Londoners.
"Sadly more than 4,000 people are killed and seriously injured on London's roads every year. Lowering speeds is one of the most important things we can do to reduce road danger and make it easier and safer for people to walk, cycle and use public transport, creating a safer, greener London for everyone."
Penny Rees, TfL Head of Healthy Streets Investment, said: "It's brilliant to see thehugeimpactthe introduction of20mphspeed limitshas had on road safety around London.We are determined toeliminatedeaths and serious injuries from London's roads in line with our Vision Zero goal, and this data proves that lowering speeds is crucial to achieving this goal.20mphspeed limits not only save lives, but also encourage Londoners to travel in more active and sustainable ways.We look forward to seeing the expansion of theprogrammebenefitmore areasofLondon."
JeremyLeach, London Campaign Co-ordinator for 20's Plenty for Us said:"This research underlines once again the importance of reducing vehicle speeds to a maximum of 20mph in built-up areas. Injuries are reduced and more people can feel safe to walk and cycle. TfL is right to be rolling out more 20mph limits on the roads that it manages and to be calling for the default speed limit on all residential roads in London to be changed to 20mph."
Scott Williams, Head of Programme Delivery at Brake, the road safety charity, said: "We have long supported the call for 20mph speed limits in places where motorised traffic is in close proximity to people walking and cycling. We are encouraged by the reduction in collision numbers, including those involving the most vulnerable road users, following the introduction of the 20mph schemes. We believe that everyone has the right to make safe and healthy journeys, every day, whoever they are and however they travel, and we know that slow traffic is fundamental to this - saving lives and creating happier and healthier communities."
- TADS (Traffic Accident Diary System) monitoring isanalysedevery six months in June and December.This analysisrepresents26 monthsdata
- Further information on Vision Zero for London, including the Action Plan, can be found here: tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-security/road-safety/vision-zero-for-london
- More information on safe speeds is available here:https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-security/road-safety/safe-speeds