TfL asks Londoners to ‘Share the Road’

12.00 | 15 July 2014 | | 7 comments

 

A new campaign by TfL asks all road users to look out for each other and share the road in a bid to reduce casualties across the capital.

The new TV campaign, which was shown for the first time at the ‘Safer Streets: Our Shared Journey’ conference on 11 July, aims to generate understanding and respect between all road users by asking them to reconsider their attitudes.

In the advert, the narrator walks through London’s streets and asks why all road users – pedestrians, cyclists and drivers – momentarily get so angry with one another on the capital’s streets. The black and white ad holds a mirror to road users’ behaviour by mixing different scenes of conflict; from the frustration of a cyclist and motorcyclist to the simmering rage between a car driver and a group of young people. 

By highlighting the conflicts that can occur, the advert looks to make people think about their actions and look out for others when travelling around the city.

The TV advert will run for five weeks and, for the first time, TfL is inviting road users to talk about their experiences on social media using #sharetheroad. 

Leon Daniels, TfL’s managing director surface transport, said: "Behaviour on the road won’t change unless the needs of all road users are understood and respected by each other. It is therefore vital that we all acknowledge the welfare of our fellow road users.

“Our emotive Share the Road campaign will hopefully help all road users think about their actions and help us continue towards meeting our ambition of a 40% cut in deaths and serious injuries by 2020." 

Martin Key, British Cycling’s campaign manager, said: "We welcome TfL’s focus on the need for mutual respect on the capital’s roads and would like to see a national awareness campaign about the need for people to give each other space.

“People in cars and people on bikes are often the same people; nine in 10 of British Cycling’s members also drive a car and more mutual respect on our roads is one of their priority issues."  

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    I think this is an amazing piece of advertising. Very thought-provoking and profound.


    Michelle, Nunhead
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    I agree with Bob Craven, especially these dangerous days when there is no way of knowing how others might react. Wind up windows, lock the doors, apologise and move on. I remember when I had inadvertently caused another driver a problem and he pulled up alongside me at the lights, shouting at me. I replied “Absolutely right, my fault, very sorry” – the lights changed and I was 200 yards down the road before he got into gear, he was so stunned!

    Only one caution though – in the event of a collision, never, never admit blame as this could allow your insurers to refuse cover on the grounds that they act for you and they, not you, decide whether you were to blame. And of course you could be mistaken.


    Idris Francis Fight Back With Facts Petersfield
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    I saw this on television over the weekend without knowing what it was in advance. I thought it was brilliant.


    Trevor Mason, Hertfordshire
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    Why not, for a change, make a similar video showing the confrontational circumstances where people hold up their hands and admit to mistakes and apologies are made and considerations are given so everyone parts well. It may engender a more positive and helpful attitude towards other road travellers.

    An instance could be where an old man or a young woman with kids in the car has a puncture and some hairy biker gets off their bike and puts the new wheel on. Or someone just stopping, perhaps helping a disabled person to cross.

    Lets have some ‘John Craven’s Newsround’ attitude and show that not everyone is aggressive or unhelpful. There is good out there as well. We should encourage more.


    bob craven Lancs
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    Sharing the roads is what we all did when the roads were less cluttered with segregated lanes, traffic signals were less prolific with fewer restrictions overall. But all of the intervening clutter and segregation have aided the frustration and are also responsible for generating resentment between road users, much of the frustration seen is ‘kicking the cat’, when the real problem lay with road and safety engineering. Where else does one vent their anger when the authoritarian establishment deliver yet another set of changes when all that is required is more freedom and less restriction. People are the same people, but give some privileges and others restrictions, and the blue touchpaper is lit.


    Derek Reynolds, Salop.
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    A lot of negativities and no redeeming features. It could at least show or compare the negative and aggressive attitudes of some against a more positive and beneficial and less confrontational one. This would therefore at least give balance and show a positive side to the human psyche. All this does is confirm and engender negative stereotypes. Nothing else. It asks the questions but gives no answers.


    bob craven Lancs
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    The video depicts classes of road users only clashing with other classes of road users, almost as if they are different species with an antagonisnm towards each other ingrained through evolution as in the animal world. Do cyclists ever rant at other cyclists? Or cabbies with other cabbies, I wonder? Perhaps they’re blind to the shortcomings of their own kind.


    Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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