A 20mph speed limit has been enforced onto roads managed by TFL (Transport For London) in a bid to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on London’s roads. TFL manage around 5% of London’s roads, these are known as “red routes”.
TFL has said ‘’we will re-calibrate all of the speed cameras in central London and will work closely with the police to ensure drivers are complying with the new speed limits’’.
A new Metropolitan Police enforcement team will work to identify speeding drivers across the capital from April, including those who breach the 20mph limit.
The TfL-managed roads within the 20mph limit are:
- Albert Embankment
- Lambeth Palace Road, Lambeth Bridge
- Millbank
- Victoria Embankment
- Upper Thames Street, Lower Thames Street, Byward Street, Tower Hill
- Borough High Street, Great Dover Street
- Blackfriars Road
- Parts of Druid Street, Crucifix Lane, part of Bermondsey Street
- Parts of Tooley Street, Duke Street Hill and Queen Elizabeth Street
TfL has said speed is a factor in about 37% of collisions in London where a person dies or is seriously injured.
The local government body added that reducing the speed limit is key to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s “Vision Zero” commitment, which aims to eliminate death and serious injury on the capital’s transport network.
Mr Khan said: “I am absolutely determined to do everything I can to eradicate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads and these new measures are a vital step along the way to helping us to achieve this.
“By cutting speed limits on TfL’s roads within the Congestion Zone we are saving lives, while at the same time making our streets more appealing for Londoners to walk and cycle around the capital.”
Lilli Matson, chief health, safety and environment officer at TfL, said: “Millions of walking and cycling journeys are made across our city every single day and a person is five times less likely to be fatally injured if hit at 20mph than at 30mph – it’s as straightforward as that.
“Ensuring the safety of Londoners and visitors is paramount, which is why we are introducing a safer speed limit for all road users in central London.”
Figures from 2016, 2017 and 2018 show 131 people were killed in speed-related collisions on London’s streets, TfL said.
A further 2,256 people were reported as seriously injured in collisions where speed was recorded as a contributory factor.
Road safety campaigners have welcomed the introduction of the 20mph speed limit in central London.
Victoria Lebrec, the campaign coordinator for RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, said: “RoadPeace welcomes the speed limiting changing from 30mph to 20mph on TfL’s roads in central London.
“We see the devastation that speed causes every day, and the few seconds that are saved can lead to a lifetime of misery for a victim.
“Whilst TfL’s plans are encouraging, they represent a small percentage of the roads in London. We would like to see more boroughs adopting a 20mph default speed limit.”
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