Image: Martin via Flickr
Today we are covering the 2018 London Road Safety Council AGM and Conference, being held at the TfL Palestra offices in Southwark.
- LRSC’s 101st AGM
- Conference features five presentations
- AGM to include presentation of 2018 London Road Safety Award
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12.00 – End of Conference
That concludes our live reporting on the conference, and the AGM is now underway – we will be announcing the winner of the 2018 London Road Safety Award later today.
11.25 – Stuart Reid, TfL – Vision Zero in London
We can’t go on having ‘typical years’ in which more than 2,500 people are killed or seriously injured (KSI) on London’s road.
Vision Zero – no one to die on London’s roads by 2041
Vision Zero is part of TfL’s Healthy Streets approach to encourage active travel and public transport use
Casualty trends give some cause for optimism
Those walking, cycling or using a motorcycle are disproportionately involved in collisions and account for 80% of all KSIs.
In addition, with a growing, aging population and inequality in those affected most by road danger (deprived areas, ethnic minorities, children and older people) urgent action is needed…
A step change in ambition is required
- A 65% reduction in KSIs by 2022 against the 2005-9 baseline
- A 70% reduction by 2030 against a new 2010-14 baseline
- Zero KSIs by 2041
- Bus casualty targets – 70% reduction in KSIs by 2022, and no one killed by 2030
Setting guiding principles for Vision Zero will help embed core values and prompt changes to approach across TfL and partners
Safe Systems philosophy – acknowledges that people make mistakes, but shouldn’t pay for mistakes with lives
Safe Speeds • Safe Streets • Safe vehicles • Safe Behaviours
Actions to lower speeds
- Lowering speed limits on the TLRN and encouraging boroughs to do the same to provide consistency for drivers
- Raising compliance through re-designing streets and enhancing the safety camera network
Actions to make streets safer
- Delivering Safer Junctions programme at 33 high risk locations on TLRN by 2022/23
- Ensuring that road danger reduction is central to all schemes, including using the Healthy Streets Check for Designers
Actions to improve the safety of vehicles
- The world’s first Bus Safety Standard in all new bus operator contracts from the end of 2018
- The world’s first Direct Vision Standard for HGVs – scheme go-live in 2019
- Targeted measures for taxis, private hire vehicles and construction vehicles, plus a new FORS safety standard for the motorcycle delivery sector in 2018
Actions to improve road user behaviour
- A new approach to police enforcement focussed on: known high-risk individuals and repeat offenders; tailored tactics to tackle specific offences in specific locations; and highly visible, more mobile patrols at key locations to increase coverage and deterrence
- Marketing and communications, which started in May 2018 with a focus on tackling ‘inappropriate speed’
- Training, education and information for professional drivers
What does Vision Zero look like in London Boroughs?
- A step change in the approach taken to reduce danger
- Delivering evidence based schemes and appropriately targeted interventions
- A focus on road danger at source
- More partnership working
- A proactive rather than reactive approach
- A collective movement across your organisation
Delivering road danger reduction in Boroughs
LIP3 Guidance gives some example initiatives to include:
- Lowering speed limits
- Measures introduced at high risk locations
- Utilising streets toolkits, road safety audits and Healthy Streets Check for designers
- Work related road risk policies
- Motorcycles in bus lanes
- Community Roadwatch / Junior Roadwatch
- Continue a training and education programme
Next steps
- Embedding the Vision Zero approach and mainstreaming road danger reduction across all areas of TfL, the boroughs and partners
- Working closely in partnership: TfL, boroughs, Police and key stakeholders to deliver the casualty reductions
- Vision Zero Action Plan to be published imminently
- Keep sharing knowledge, learning and innovative ideas with each other
A final thought for each borough – what are the key challenges and what is the appropriate mix of interventions to address these?
11.05 – Karen Cole, MCIA – the case for London boroughs to develop a PTW strategy
- More PTWs can cut congestion and improve air quality – and reduce PTW casualties.
- A modal shift of 10% from cars to PTWs can reduce congestion by 40% – and a modal shift of 25% eliminates congestion.
- Inclusion in policy is key: PTW strategies, Local Transport Plans/Local Implementation Plans. When PTWs are considered as part of the transport mix rather than as a problem, benefits can be unlocked and safety can be improved.
- MCIA’s Motorcycle Transport and Safety Policy (MTSP) has seven themes: Road User Awareness; Educate to Deliver; Motorcycles as a Practical Solution; Safer Infrastructure; Unlocking the benefits of motorcycling; Better motorcycle society engagement in society; and Partnership with cycling.
- MTSP says: “Local authorities have a clear role to play in increasing road user awareness of motorcycles. This can best be achieved through local safety action plans, incorporating motorcycle use into their strategic plans for transport and ensuring that highways engineering follows the key principles of the Institute of Highways Engineers (IHE) guidelines. We will seek to encourage the implementation of local authority motorcycling plans, both within safety strategies, but also as part of their plans for transport.”
- Nationally PTW casualties make up 10.56% of all casualties; only four London areas have a better %age than this (Heathrow, Havering, Redbridge & Enfield).
- MTSP is working in Northants, via a phased approach, with local trade buy in, and it’s going well so far…
Phase one in Northants
- Try before you buy – ‘Get On’ availability
- MCIAC accredited training schools
- BikeSafe
Phase two
- Road Infrastructure
- Traffic Regulation Orders (access to bus lanes)
- Secure parking
Phase three
- Education – for all… (not easy)
- Schools/colleges
- PTW users
- Other road users
“We hope we can encourage some London boroughs to adopt a similar approach”
10.20 – Keith Prince; improving motorcycle safety on London’s roads
The third presentation is by Keith Prince from the London Assembly Transport Committee, who will discuss the two Assembly reports which look at improving motorcycle safety on London’s roads.
The committee’s first report, ‘Easy Rider’ was published in March 2016, and included evidence from TfL, London boroughs, road safety organisations, emergency services, industry and motorcyclist representatives. It was also based on a survey of over 1,200 motorcyclists about safety issues, and scrutinised the delivery of the Motorcycle Safety Action Plan. The London Assembly published a second report two years later in March 2018, assessing TfL’s progress.
Casualties
- In 2016, 33 motorcyclists were killed in collisions on London’s roads. A further 648 motorcyclists suffered serious injuries, and a further 4,574 suffered slight injuries.
- Despite motorcycles accounting for just 1% of journeys made in London, 27% of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on London’s roads are motorcyclists.
- Little or no money being spent to address this issue, and no improvement in reducing casualties.
Perceptions of safety
- In the Assembly’s survey, only half of respondents (50%) said they feel safe riding on London’s roads, with more than a third (34%) saying they feel unsafe
Access to bus lanes
- Bikers can ride in bus lanes on the TfL network but access to bus lanes on borough roads is inconsistent
- Only a few boroughs have taken steps to open up access for motorcyclists to bus lanes
- In the survey only half of motorcyclists (48%) said it is clear which bus lanes they can ride in, while 41% said it is unclear.
- Signage needs to be much clearer, and repeater signs
- But what we really need is for all boroughs to allow riders to use bus lanes
- The Mayor must do more to give motorcyclists access to bus lanes.
Training & education
- The BikeSafe workshops funded by TfL are effective, with 93% of participants saying it changed their behaviour.
- BikeSafe participants are disproportionately older. More needs to be done to reach young riders, who may be dissuaded by the cost or perceptions of the police.
- TfL should set a target for increasing youth participation and improve outreach work.
TfL priorities
- TfL’s Motorcycle Safety Action Plan was due for full implementation in 2016. The Assembly recommended it should be updated, but the Mayor and TfL have not done this.
- The Mayor’s draft Transport Strategy recommended several new actions on motorcycle safety, including a ‘London Standard’ for training, but this was not in the final version.
London Assembly is looking for the Motorcycle Action Plan to be updated – there is no evidence that motorcyclists are any safer today than they were 10 years ago, and no pathway to show how casualty reduction targets are going to be delivered. We should be leaning on delivery companies to take responsibility for ‘self employed’ riders working on their behalf.
10.00 – Tanya Fosdick – motorcycle casualties in London
The second presentation is by Tanya Fosdick from Road Safety Anaylsis who is looking at motorcycle casualties in London.
Soundbites
• The casualty trend shows an increase in casualties among riders of small machines under 125cc and a small downward trend for bigger bikes. This presentation focuses on smaller bikes.
• Road Safety Analysis completed motorcycle studies for five London Boroughs – Camden, Hackney, Lambeth, Lewisham and Newham – all of whom face different challenges but have issues with smaller bikes
• The studies set out to understand who is crashing on local roads –
is it residents or non-residents –in order to understand how to best engage with them (pattern different in all five boroughs)
• Age of casualties varies from borough to borough, but in most cases the peaks are in 20-24 & 25-29 yrs.
• Majority of collisions occur during weekdays and in rush hour.
• UK-wide casualties – around 10% of collisions occur on journeys for work – in London it’s about 15%
Common themes
All five Boroughs have issues with:
• Motorcycle collisions at T-junctions
• Motorcyclists being involved in collisions when travelling straight ahead & another vehicle is turning right into or out of a junction
• Observation errors being attributed to motorcyclists
• Observation errors being attributed to other drivers
Recommendations:
• One size doesn’t fit all – analyse and understand data on order to tailor to the issue
• Identify if need to target residents or those using your roads… or both
• Work with neighbouring boroughs and TfL
• Identify other boroughs with similar issues to deliver economies of scale, consistent messaging and sharing best practice
09.35 – Saul Jeavons; current and future road safety ETP provision across the 33 London local authorities
In the context of reductions in local authority spending, the project set out to develop a London-wide picture of current road safety provision, aims and aspirations for the future and any concerns individual boroughs have about the future. It also looked at barriers and challenges to service delivery including reductions in staffing numbers and outsourcing of road safety provision.
This presentation covers the interim results, with the full results to be presented at a conference on 2 November 2018.
The study comprised 90-minute interviews with all London local authorities with elected members with road safety portfolio, the head of service and road safety manager.
Findings
• Funding: LIP funding is constant but no longer ring fenced – therefore stronger arguments need to be put forward to secure ETP funding (business case & data become more important).
• Staffing: some Boroughs are committed to maintaining staffing levels – others are not, and have cut significantly. Many people have changed roles and titles, making like-for-like comparisons difficult.
• Staff capabilities: there are some excellent staff deployed on work which includes road safety ETP, but fewer staff with dedicated road safety roles (this affects the profile of road safety), and there is less time available for networking (many boroughs working in isolation). There is a smaller pool to recruit from both inside and outside London – which could be a problem for the future.
• Common threads included: traditional ETP work, speed and speed limits (20mph), school streets (closing off, CCTV etc), air quality, motorcycling, data (huge variety in terms of quality), people focusing on outputs rather than outcomes (evaluation) and working with local businesses / major employers.
• The future: data needs addressing – other sources of risk information, move to focusing on outcomes rather than outputs, ‘blank sheet’ programme development (scope for more), collaborative working (overcome political reluctance), evaluation and research, and protecting / enhancing the profile of road safety.
20 June 2018