CTC welcomes new bus safety programme in London

Transport for London (TfL) announced this morning the launch of its new ‘World Leading Bus Safety Programme’, designed to improve safety across the London bus network and help achieve the Mayor’s target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSIs) on the capital’s roads by 2020.

TfL’s new programme includes a greater focus on safety and the need to keep vulnerable road users safe, and their six-point programme also has significance beyond London and wider public transport, because of its acceptance that TfL's own commercial contracts can affect the number of KSIs on the roads.

It’s very heartening that cycle safety is now being firmly written into London bus contracts. Now the same needs to happen for publicly funded lorry contracts.”

Roger Geffen MBE, CTC Policy Director 

In reaction to the TfL announcement, CTC's Policy Director, Roger Geffen MBE, said: “It’s very heartening that cycle safety is now being firmly written into London bus contracts, not least thanks to cyclist Tom Kearney’s persistent campaigning.  Now the same needs to happen for publicly funded lorry contracts, whether for construction projects, haulage or refuse services and anything else that puts lorries on to our roads. We also urge national government to follow Transport for London’s lead and spread this positive step to the rest of the country.”

In light of the positive steps being put forward by TfL, CTC is calling for the proposed safety incentives in respect of the bus network to apply to bus contractors and TfL management, who currently benefit financially from buses being on time, but not from a safe bus network.

For more in-depth analysis of today's announcement, read our latest blog from CTC’s Road Safety and Legal Campaigns Officer Duncan Dollimore.