Mayor urged to protect road safety funds as road casualties rise
Caroline Russell has urged the Mayor of London to protect the road safety budget as new Transport for London figures reveal the number of people killed or injured on London’s roads has risen.
Although the number of people killed or seriously injured continues to fall, total casualties have risen by three per cent in a year. Slight injuries have gone up for the second successive year.
The number of motorcycle casualties has increased again, as has the number of pedestrians hit by them. In 2015 nearly 600 pedestrians were hit by motorbikes and scooters– an increase of 16% in one year.
The amount of money allocated to road danger reduction could be reduced by the new Mayor when he re-writes the TfL business plan this autumn (2).
Caroline said:
“It’s encouraging that the number of people being killed and seriously injured on our streets continues to fall. However, the increase in slight injuries and motorcycle collisions is very worrying.”
“Even a slight injury can totally disrupt your life. If you can’t get into work and you can’t pay your bills, then your life can quickly be turned upside down.”
“The Mayor must prioritise reducing road danger and safeguard the road safety budget when he re-writes TfL’s business plan, not cut it as the previous Mayor suggested. The same goes for the £25m of funding for roads and traffic policing that is currently at risk. He must also publish a plan to bring down the number of motorcycle collisions without delay.”
Notes to editors
- Caroline is available for interview or further comment
- The previous Mayor’s 2016/17 consultation budget listed £20m of road safety spending and £25m of funding for roads and traffic policing within TfL’s existing business plan as ‘under review’ - https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/mayorsconsultationbudget2016-17.pdf
- TfL’s road casualties fact sheet for 2015 can be read here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2015.pdf