Ken Livingstone has been setting out the policies he would pursue in a third term to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on London’s roads.
Speaking after meeting local residents in Kings Cross Mr Livingstone sought to portray himself as the experienced candidate and to trade off a record he says has “led to over 500 fewer children being killed or seriously injured on London’s roads each year.”
If re-elected in May Mr Livingstone says he would work with London’s boroughs to designate all residential streets in the capital as 20 mph zones.
Mr Livingstone said “Research has shown that designating all residential streets as 20mph zones will make a huge difference to cutting further road casualties. Nine out of ten pedestrians will be killed if hit by a car travelling at 40mph, two out of ten at 30mph and one in forty at 20mph.”
There was backing for the policy pledge from RoadPeace, a national charity which has been supporting bereaved and injured road crash victims for more than 15 years.
RoadPeace Director Amy Aeron-Thomas said there “There are many people alive in London today thanks to Ken Livingstone’s dedication to reducing danger on our roads.”
“But all Londoners should appreciate his policies of giving increased priority to pedestrians and cyclists by making walking and cycling safer modes, which has made London a more people friendly city.”
“Although greatly reduced, road deaths still out number homicides and more can and should be done. RoadPeace sees the introduction of a 20 mile per hour default speed limit key to not only reducing road deaths and injuries, but also to tacking climate change and obesity. Thus a 20mph default speed limit, pledged by the Mayor, offers a win-win-win solution.”
