More than 1,200 people were injured and 68 people were killed while walking on or alongside London’s roads in 2019, according to figures revealed by a leading Green politician. Caroline Russell, a member of the London Assembly, also showed that 261 junctions in London contain no pedestrian crossing signals.
The Assembly unanimously supported Caroline’s motion calling on the Mayor to review pedestrian safety and to develop a plan to install pedestrian crossing signals at all junctions by 2030 in order to ‘close this worrying safety gap’.
The motion also called for the Mayor to examine where there is potential to install further safety features such as dropped kerbs and tactile strips for people with visual impairments.
Russell said: ‘It is really important that our city streets are inclusive and safe for children to walk to school and for everyone, especially older people and disabled people.
‘Our streets must be accessible for people getting around with a white cane, a guide dog, a walking frame, a wheelchair or a mobility scooter.’
Caroline’s approved motion comes on the back of the Green AMs’ recent GLA budget amendment, which aimed to raise funds to improve accessibility and make it nicer and safer to walk in outer London. As Russell stressed at the time, ‘even a small investment in these changes can make a huge difference to Londoners.