London casualty figures for the first nine months of 2011 have shown a worrying rise in both the number of cyclists and the number of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured, compared to a similar period in 2010.
Jenny is also concerned that the proportion of casualties that are vulnerable road users has grown in the last decade, from being just over half the total (54%) to now being over two thirds (69%) of the killed and injured in London. Jenny Jones AM has now asked the Mayor to release a detailed breakdown of the casualty data for the whole of 2011.
The Mayor of London has failed to publish an up to date road safety action plan, despite two and a half years of saying that it was ‘in preparation’, and promising in June last year that he would ‘shortly consult’.
Jenny Jones said:
"When road casualties are such a big public concern, I’m very disappointed that the Mayor has failed to put in place a plan with up to date targets for casualty reduction, and that he has halved the road safety budget. Recent evidence shows that, over the last decade, serious casualties amongst cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists have reduced more slowly as those of car drivers and passengers. I’m concerned that the funding for measures which benefit vulnerable road users, such as 20mph zones, has been cut back. Road safety has been a success story in London, but that success needs to benefit everyone. The Mayor has failed to show us a plan for doing that, despite two years of promises."
"The Mayor has a track record of saying that things are fine when the facts are indicating that they are not. This is why I’m asking him to release immediately the detailed casualty data for the whole of 2011. The Mayor has recently focused on the numbers of killed and seriously injured cyclists on TfL controlled roads, but overlooked the two thirds of casualties on other roads. As Mayor for all of London he must take responsibility for road safety expenditure on borough roads dropping from £30m to £10m during his first two years as Mayor."