TfL’s new online data platform unveils road safety disparities in London

Credit: Transport for London

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it has launched a ground-breaking tool, the Vision Zero Inequalities Dashboard, to address road traffic injury disparities in the city. The first of its kind in Europe, the dashboard vividly illustrates the correlation between deprivation levels and elevated road casualty rates, underlining the urgency to target investments for the protection of vulnerable road users.

According to TfL, this interactive dashboard enables users to filter and map data on road casualties, based on deprivation levels, year, borough, casualty severity and mode of travel. It provides a comprehensive understanding of areas requiring immediate attention, as road safety emerges as an urgent public health concern in London.

The dashboard utilises casualty data from 2017 to the end of 2022, updated annually, with additional data on age and gender to be incorporated later in 2024. Collected by the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police, this data forms a robust foundation for informed decision-making.

TfL intends to utilise the insights garnered to inform its investment priorities and share the data with boroughs, aiding in the development of Local Implementation Plans. Collaborations with boroughs and stakeholders are crucial for analysing the root causes of road injury inequalities, planning future road danger reduction programmes, and directing infrastructure investments for maximum impact.

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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.”

Jeremy Leach, from Action Vision Zero, said: “Poorer communities face much greater risk when using the roads.  Now though, communities and campaigners across London have a powerful new tool to help them to tackle road danger and make walking and cycling safer.”

Deputy Leader Councillor 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.”