One year on from the launch of London’s Vision Zero Action Plan, victims of road collisions are speaking out about the devastation they have experienced.
Launched in July 2018, the action plan sets out how the mayor, TfL and the Met Police are working to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from the Capital’s streets by 2041.
At the heart of the plan is reducing vehicle speeds – including making 20mph the new default speed limit on all TfL roads within the Congestion Charging Zone by 2020.
To help raise the profile of Vision Zero, TfL is running a video campaign with victims of road trauma to show that behind every statistic there’s a person.
The ‘Know My Name’ campaign also encourages the public to independently share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #KnowMyName.
Stuart Reid, director of Vision Zero at TfL, said: “Too many lives and communities in London are blighted by road trauma.
“We must see this for the issue it is and do everything we can to prevent this devastation from happening.
“So much work has gone into Vision Zero already this year, but we all have so much more to do and we won’t stop until we achieve Vision Zero.”
Drones used to catch dangerous drivers
To coincide with Vision Zero Week, officers from the Met Police’s Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) carried out an operation to tackle high-risk road offenders.
According to BBC News, this operation involved the use of drones to enable officers to gather intelligence and evidence.
The unmanned aerial vehicle relayed information to officers on the ground, to help them target ‘road users engaged in dangerous driving, such as racing, that could potentially put others at risk’.
Speaking prior to the operation, detective superintendent Andy Cox, from the Met’s RTPC, said the force remained as committed to Vision Zero now as when it was launched.
Det supt Cox said: “The operational plan will provide a coordinated, efficient and effective response to deny high risk, violent and dangerous individuals the use of London’s roads.”
Capital road deaths fall to record low in 2018
The number of people killed on London’s roads fell to the lowest level on record in 2018, new statistics show.
Casualty statistics published by TfL on 25 July show there were 111 deaths and 3,954 serious injuries on the Capital’s road network last year.
People walking, cycling and riding motorcycles made up around 80% of all people killed on London’s roads, with 90 deaths.
As a result, TfL says it will continue to focus efforts on making streets safer for the people most at risk.
Stuart Reid said: “2018 saw the lowest number of deaths on record, but we cannot rest on our laurels.
“It is not acceptable for even one person to die or to be seriously injured on our roads and we are working tirelessly with our partners to reach our Vision Zero target.”
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