Reduced Speed in the City: Fewer Deaths and Injuries in London

The London Transport Authority concluded that reducing speed limits from 30 to 20 miles per hour significantly decreased accidents, and consequently, fatalities and injuries on the road.

London aims to become a transportation role model, but there is still much work to do for this massive city, which is 15 times the size of Paris (1572 km² vs 105 km²). The British capital has already pushed for electric buses, cycling practices, and the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone), which is equivalent to our ZFE in France.

But also in terms of road safety, the mayor launched the “Vision Zero” plan to reach the utopian goal of zero deaths in the city by 2041. Currently, the city records 4,000 deaths and serious injuries annually. Transport for London (TfL), the London transport authority, has launched a study on lowering speed limits as a solution to achieve this.

-63% in pedestrian accidents

Downtown, TfL experimented with lowering the limit from 30 to 20 miles per hour since March 2020, from 48 to 32 km/h. The number of collisions decreased by 25% in two years, from 406 to 304 annually. Collisions involving pedestrians also dropped sharply, by 63%, from 124 to 46. Lastly, the number of crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries was reduced by 25% over the 110 km of the zone, an impressive achievement.

Indeed, TfL specifies that speed is responsible for half of London’s fatal accidents. Despite the shift from 30 to 20 miles/h (roughly 50 to 30 km/h), the average speed only decreased from 1.7 to 5 miles/h depending on the roads. And according to authorities, traffic jams have not increased.

More fines to come

After this initial phase, London will double the 20 mph zone to 220 km by 2024. To enforce the rules, law enforcement is tightening measures. After a 72% increase in speeding violations in 2021/2022, the city aims for one million fines next year.

“Lowering speed is one of the most important measures we can take to reduce danger on the road,” says the London mayor’s traffic commissioner Will Norman, who wants to push this limit “to facilitate and encourage people to walk, cycle, and use public transport, in order to build a safer and cleaner London for everyone.”

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