TfL dashboard tool shows stark levels of road traffic injury inequality
Transport for London (TfL) has launched its Vision Zero Inequalities Dashboard tool, creating a new map of London that shows stark levels of road traffic injury inequality in the capital. The pioneering new tool is the first of its kind in Europe and shows how deprivation is linked to higher road casualty levels, reinforcing the need to target investment and improvements to protect those most vulnerable.
The dashboard enables users to filter the data on the relationship between deprivation levels and road casualties by year, borough, casualty severity and mode of travel, while the mapping function makes it easier to explore areas of higher casualty or casualty location rates. The risk of death and serious injury on London's roads is an urgent public health issue and these tools will allow users to identify areas and issues that most urgently need to be addressed.
Casualty data available runs from 2017 up to the end of 2022 and will be updated annually. Remaining data covering this time period on age and gender will be added later this year. London collision data is collected by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the City of London Police (CoLP) or reported to the police by members of the public.
TfL will use the data from this dashboard to inform its own investment priorities and provide this data to boroughs to develop their Local Implementation Plans (LIPs). TfL has met and shared the findings of this dashboard with the boroughs with the top five highest casualty rates and top five highest casualty location rates.
The dashboard complements the recently published Inequalities in road danger in London (2017-2021) report. This found that in London the more deprived the area, the higher the risk that someone travelling in that area will be seriously injured or killed in a road traffic collision in that area, with the 30 per cent most deprived postcodes having more than double the number of casualties per kilometre of road network compared with the least deprived 30 per cent.
The report found that the same is also true for people living in London's more deprived areas who are travelling in London as a whole. The more deprived the area someone lives in, the higher the risk they will be injured or killed in a road traffic collision wherever they are travelling in London, with people from the 30 per cent most deprived home postcodes having nearly double the risk of people from the least deprived 30 per cent.
Lilli Matson, TfL's Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer, said, "We're delighted to publish this valuable new tool to enable people to see where and how action most needs to be taken to reduce road danger and inequality in London. The interactive dashboard displays crucial information on the relationship between deprivation levels and road casualties in London.
“Protecting everyone on the road is a priority for us and we will continue to research how road risk varies for certain groups of Londoners and engage with boroughs, police and other stakeholders to reduce these inequalities. Without safe streets we know that people won't choose the most healthy and sustainable modes of transport and there is still much more to do to eradicate road deaths and serious injuries. We are determined to make London a greener, more sustainable and safer city for everyone."
Jeremy Leach, Action Vision Zero said, “TfL's new Inequalities Dashboard helps people to pinpoint places where risk is higher and demand action from their local Councillors and their borough."
Deputy Leader Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said, "Road danger is a social justice issue, and we are past the point where it's enough to just ask motorists to slow down or pedestrians to look both ways when crossing a road. It is about making sure in the future streets are designed with road safety built-in, making them more equal and less dominated by motor traffic."
TfL's Vision Zero Inequalities Dashboard is available on the TfL website here