Transport for London says it is committed to lowering speed limits across the city and plans to continue to roll out 20mph zones on its road network over the next year.
This follows new research published by the transport body, which shows that the number of people killed and seriously injured on borough roads in London reduced by 34% following the implementation of the 20mph speed limit between 1989 and 2013.
The report, the first of its scale in London, analyses more than 150 20mph schemes between 1989 and 2013, examining the three-year periods surrounding the implementation of each 20mph scheme.
The report shows that, with the exception of motorcycle fatalities, which did not change, 20mph schemes led to fewer fatalities and less severe injuries across every mode of travel.
The report shows that 20mph schemes significantly reduced the number of deaths and serious injury, including:
- A 40% reduction in the number of people killed (from 15 to 9), compared against the background trend of 7% fewer fatalities across borough roads;
- A 34% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured (from 395 to 260), compared against the background trend of a 15% fall in people killed or seriously injured across borough roads;
- A 35% reduction in collisions and 36% reduction in casualties on borough roads, against a background trend of 12% fewer collisions and casualties across all borough roads.
21 out of 33 boroughs now have a default 20mph speed limit. TfL said it expects this number to grow in light of the positive impact these schemes are having on collisions.
Road deaths fall to new lows
In a separate release published on Thursday (29 May), TfL said that the number of people tragically killed or seriously injured on London’s roads fell to 3,696 in 2024, the lowest level on record outside of the pandemic-affected years.
Cars continued to be involved in most collisions that killed or seriously injured someone else in 2024. Excess speed remains one of the biggest risks to road users, with around half of the 2024 fatal collisions in London reporting speed as a contributory factor, the TfL said.
“These figures show encouraging signs that our efforts to reduce road danger in London are making a difference, but every death or serious injury is one too many and we know there is much more work to do,” said Seb Dance (Deputy Mayor for Transport)
“The Mayor and I remain fully committed to his Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury from London’s roads by 2041. That means continuing to expand our safer speed programme, transforming dangerous junctions and investing in safe, high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure. We will continue working with TfL, boroughs and the police to reduce road danger and build a safer London for all.”
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