The London Assembly has called on mayor Sadiq Khan to review junctions in the UK capital where no priority is given to people walking.
Khan’s Vision Zero strategy aims to create streets safe for pedestrians with slower traffic, better junction designs and improved vehicle safety.
While pavements in the city usually have dropped kerbs and special paving to make crossing the road easier, the London Assembly claimed that some road junctions in London do not prioritise pedestrians.
According to the elected body, which is part of the Greater London Authority, it is estimated there are 261 junctions in the UK capital that have no pedestrian-safe crossings.
Thus, the London Assembly has urged Khan to develop a plan to ensure that every junction that has signals to control motor traffic also has signal protected pedestrian crossings on every arm by 2030.
Caroline Russell AM, who proposed the motion, said: “In 2021 it is not right that we still have junctions all over London with signals for motor traffic but no time for people to cross the road safely.
“Too many of our roads are hostile to people getting around on foot, especially children, older and disabled people and far too many people are being killed and seriously injured each year simply trying to cross the road.
“This is why I’m so glad that the Assembly passed my motion today, showing that politicians across London want the mayor to make a plan to fix these lethal junctions by 2030 providing dropped kerbs, tactile paving and most importantly time in the signal phasing for people to cross the road safely.”
According to the London Assembly, some 1,282 people were seriously injured while walking on or next to London’s roads in 2019, and 68 people were killed. Of these deaths, at least 44 people were killed while crossing the road.
Furthermore, provisional figures for 2020 show that 95 people were killed on London’s roads, of whom 44 were people walking, said the London Assembly.
