First-of-kind tool links road casualties and deprivation
Transport for London (TfL) has launched a dashboard which shows how deprivation is linked to higher levels of death and injury on the capital’s roads.
The Vision Zero Inequalities Dashboard[1], which is the first of its kind in Europe, will be used by TfL to target road safety measures, with data also shared with boroughs to inform their planning. A report published last year found that from 2017-21, the 30% most deprived postcodes in London had more than double the number of casualties per kilometre of road network than the least deprived 30%. The link between deprivation and road casualties existed whether people were travelling in their own areas or elsewhere in London.
The dashboard, which will be updated annually, shows that these trends continued in 2022. TfL’s chief safety, health and environment officer, Lilli Matson, said: ‘Protecting everyone on the road is a priority for us and we will continue to research how road risk varies for certain groups of Londoners and engage with boroughs, police and other stakeholders to reduce these inequalities. ‘Without safe streets we know that people won’t choose the most healthy and sustainable modes of transport and there is still much more to do to eradicate road deaths and serious injuries.’
The co-founder of campaign group Action Vision Zero, Jeremy Leach, said: ‘Communities and campaigners across London have a powerful new tool to help them to tackle road danger and make walking and cycling safer.
‘TfL’s new Inequalities Dashboard helps people to pinpoint places where risk is higher and demand action from their local councillors and their borough.’
References
- ^ Vision Zero Inequalities Dashboard (tfl.gov.uk)