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20MPH speed limits in London reduce fatalities without adding to congestion, says TfL
28 February 2023
Figures from Transport for London (TfL) show that road traffic accidents resulting in fatalities and serious injuries reduced by 25 per cent on roads with speed limits reduced to 20mph.
The data was collected from sites within the London Congestion Charging zone on the TfL Road Network (TLRN). The speed limits on these roads were reduced to 20mph in March 2020 as part of TfL’s ‘Vision Zero’ commitment to eliminate death and serious injury on London roads by 2041.
Other key statistics include:
- Collisions involving vulnerable road users also decreased by 36 per cent and those involving pedestrians decreased by 63 per cent.
- Speed was a contributing factor in 48 per cent of fatal collisions in 2020.
- Motorists have reduced speeds by 1.7-5MPH across most sites surveyed since the 20mph speed limits were implemented.
- According to TfL, analysis of journey times, traffic flows and speeds finds that the reduced speed limits have not increased congestion.
Currently, more than half of roads in London have a 20mph speed limit, almost 68 miles of which are on TfL’s network.
TfL reduced speed limits to 20mph on all of its roads within the capital’s Congestion Charging Zone in March 2020 as part of its ‘Vision Zero’ commitment to eliminate death and serious injury on the capital's roads by 2041.
The organisation is working on plans to lower speed limits on a further 136 miles of roads on its network by 2024. Speed limits will also be reduced to 20mph on roads with a combined total of 17 miles in Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Haringey in March 2023.
London's walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman said, “Sadly, more than 4,000 people are killed and seriously injured on London's roads every year. Lowering speeds is one of the most important things we can do to reduce road danger and make it easier and safer for people to walk, cycle and use public transport, creating a safer, greener London for everyone.”
Head of programme delivery at road safety charity Brake Scott Williams said, “We are encouraged by the reduction in collision numbers, including those involving the most vulnerable road users, following the introduction of the 20mph schemes.”
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