Legal News

London Mayor Boris Johnson has published his Pedestrian Safety Action Plan to help reduce the number of pedestrians killed or injured in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in London.

The Mayor’s action plan pledges to reduce the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured on London roads by 40% by 2020.

In the next two years, Transport for London (TfL) will also double the number of pedestrian crossings which have a countdown system to alert pedestrians as to how many seconds they have left to cross the road in safety. London currently has 200 such pedestrian crossings and TfL is planning to install a further 200 by 2016.

Boris Johnson has faced criticism for not having done enough to prevent pedestrian injuries and deaths on London roads during his time as mayor. In 2012, a total of 69 pedestrians were killed on London’s roads, compared with 14 cyclists. A total of 134 people died in road traffic accidents in London in 2012.

At the launch of the Mayor’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, Mr Johnson said:

“We’ve made some great strides in improving road safety in recent years – and although things are moving in the right direction, there is still much to be done.”

Pedestrian safety on London’s roads is also a focus of a trial in which London buses will be equipped with sensors to detect any vehicle or road user which comes too close to a bus.

The sensors will alert the bus driver to hazards – and CCTV will also help alert bus drivers to road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

TfL says that leading manufacturers of sensor equipment have been asked to supply potential designs to be used on London buses to help improve road safety.

TfL runs 8,500 buses across the capital and all London buses may eventually be fitted with the sensor equipment, with congested routes in inner London being the first to benefit from the technology.

TfL director of London buses, Mike Weston, said that earlier trials of CCTV had been rejected because too much “white noise” from railings and traffic lights had been detected. Fitting radar-technology tags to bicycles to alert bus drivers to their presence was also ruled out as impractical.

However, from May one dozen buses operating in inner and outer London will trial the latest sensor devices.

Mr Weston said:

“Clearly the aim is to reduce the number of collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists – and we want to see how technology can help bus drivers who operate in a very busy environment.”

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors

Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise on how to make a no win no fee compensation claim for injuries sustained as a result of a road traffic accident caused by another party’s negligence.

Personal injury claimants have three years from the date of injury to make a no win no fee claim for road traffic accident compensation.

Road traffic accident compensation claims worth less than £10,000 are fast-tracked through the RTA Claims Portal.

Compensation claims for more serious injuries such as brain injury or life changing injuries can be made through the civil courts.

For expert legal advice on making a no win no fee compensation claim for road traffic accident injuries, contact Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.