[Carfreeliving] Does London care more about ped & bike safety than SF?

Wed Jun 1 12:50:24 MDT 2005

I forgot to answer the question in the subject line...

Probably not, based on what I see happening in the DPT office everyday.

We apparently don't spend enough energy and resources promoting our work 
and instead allow others define our successes and failures, often 
inaccurately.  Hence my defensive emails...  I prefer not to write them.

Mike Sallaberry <Mike.Sallaberry at sfgov.org> 
Sent by: Carfreeliving-bounces at livablecity.org
06/01/2005 10:29 AM

To
Carfreeliving at livablecity.org
cc

Subject
Re: [Carfreeliving] Does London care more about ped & bike safety than SF?

FYI, see November 2004 report: 

http://www.bicycle.sfgov.org/site/dptbike_index.asp?id=18784 

"Jeremy Nelson" <jeremy at livablecity.org> 
Sent by: Carfreeliving-bounces at livablecity.org 
05/31/2005 06:50 PM 

Please respond to
jeremy at livablecity.org

To
<Carfreeliving at livablecity.org> 
cc

Subject
[Carfreeliving] Does London care more about ped & bike safety than SF?

FYI- When it come to improving road safety for all users, it turns out 
it's
pretty easy proposition, per London's experience described in the article
below:

1) They set specific target goals and implementation timelines for 
reducing
pedestrian/bicyclist injuries and fatalities: "Cut death and serious 
injury
on the roads by 40 per cent by 2010".

2) They had the leadership from transportation officials, funding 
agencies,
and politicians to do what was necessary to achieve these targets:  "Road
safety is working in London, because we have spent more and more money on
doing the things which we know save lives."

3) With a clear plan and bold leadership, success was achieved:  "The 
number
of people killed on London's roads fell by 21 per cent last year new 
figures
out today reveal."

4) When they achieved many of their targets early, they didn't rest on 
their
laurels and head off for a photo-op, they redoubled their efforts: "We are
now almost within touching distance of our 2010 targets a full five years
early, [but] I believe the time is now right to raise the bar [...]
establishing an even more challenging target of a 50 per cent reduction by
2010 in the number of deaths and serious injuries."

Where is the sustainable transportation leadership of our "best practices"
Mayor and our "progressive" Board of Supervisors?   Maybe some of Ken
Livingston's resolve (to actually back up his statements of concern for 
ped
and bike safety with the real financial and political capital needed to
re-design urban roads for the safety of all users) will rub off on Mayor
Newsom and the Supes this week.

Full article below.

===========================

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 30 May 2005 22:51:45 -0700
From: "5/29 TfL" <batn at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: London road deaths down 21%

Published Sunday, May 29, 2005,  as a Transport for London (UK) press
release

Capital's road deaths drop by 21 per cent

The number of people killed on London's roads fell by 21 per cent last
year new figures out today reveal.

The figures published by Transport for London (TfL) show that 216
people lost their lives in 2004, 56 fewer than in 2003.

There were 939 fewer serious injuries compared to 2003, down to 3,953.

These results mean that the Capital has almost reached the Mayor's
target to cut death and serious injury on the roads by 40 per cent by
2010.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "We are now almost within
touching distance of our 2010 targets a full five years early,
however, 216 deaths is totally unacceptable and I believe the time is
now right to raise the bar.

"I am asking Transport for London to start work with the boroughs and
the police with a view to establishing an even more challenging target
of a 50 per cent reduction by 2010 in the number of deaths and serious
injuries on the Capital's roads."

Jenny Jones, the Mayor's Road Safety Ambassador, said: "Road safety is
working in London, because we have spent more and more money on doing
the things which we know save lives.

'Amazing success story'

"London now has the chance to go beyond the Government targets for
casualty reduction and to dramatically reduce the daily toll of
unnecessary bloodshed on our streets.

"This is an amazing success story, but while there are still people
being killed or injured, we need the local authorities and the police
to do everything they can to make our streets safe for all road
users."

Other key figures include:

* Cyclist deaths and injuries down by 23 per cent
* Government's 2010 reduction target for cyclists killed and seriously
 injured (340 people) already reached -- six years early
* Car occupants killed or seriously injured down by 24 per cent
* Power two-wheeler riders killed or seriously injured down by 22 per
 cent

Peter Hendy, Managing Director Surface Transport, TfL, said: "Today's
figures demonstrate the progress that has been made in London in
reducing unnecessary deaths on the roads, 56 lives saved is a huge
achievement.

"Measures such as 20mph zones, improved road layouts and the further
roll out of safety cameras mean that we are making great progress.

"However, we must not be complacent, only by continuing to work with
boroughs and the police, and pressing the message of road safety home
can we help to ensure lives aren't needlessly lost."

Ends

* A fact sheet with a full break down of the 2004 London casualty
statistics including a borough by borough list is available at
<
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/downloads/Road-Casualty-Factsheet.rt

f>

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