Each year more than 4,000 people are killed or seriously
injured on London’s roads and 76 per cent of collisions happen
at junctions – many of which involve moving vehicles
contravening decriminalised road traffic rules.
The new cameras, which can be moved around the road network to
where they are most needed, use cutting edge technology to
enforce banned turns, bus lanes, yellow box junctions and
weight restrictions. The deployable cameras can be adapted for
each new location, ensuring that the rules for each particular
junction can be enforced fairly and efficiently, with separate
cameras for each traffic rule. A trial of the cameras carried
out in 2020 saw an improvement in compliance of up to 60 per
cent in six months.
The ability to relocate the cameras also means that they can be
used to target non-compliance ‘hot-spots’. This capability
ensures that TfL can target junctions with the most dangerous
driver behaviour and can remove cameras from locations where
enforcement activity has been successful in cutting danger and
making drivers’ behaviour safer.
Improving enforcement at junctions on the TfL road network will
also help to cut congestion on the capital’s roads, by keeping
junctions clear and ensuring traffic can move through them as
intended.
The new cameras will be introduced to the TfL road network from
this autumn and TfL will be closely monitoring how successful
the cameras have been at cutting road danger, reducing
congestion and improving bus journey reliability. All money
recovered by drivers being penalised is reinvested in
maintaining a safe and efficient road network for everyone
travelling in the capital. The cameras will be used for
enforcement of civil traffic rules only and will be fully
compliant with data protection legislation.
Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner,
said: “Most collisions on London’s roads happen at
junctions and it’s absolutely vital for everybody’s safety that
we can enforce effectively against the minority of drivers who
break the rules. We’re determined to meet our Vision Zero goal
of eliminating death and serious injury and our partnership
with PDS to deliver these innovative new cameras will give us
much-needed extra capability to tackle danger hot-spots on our
road network. We’ll be closely monitoring the success of this
new technology and will continue to work closely with the
police and others to keep our road network safe, efficient and
sustainable for everybody in the capital.”
Andrew Bramley, PDS Operations Director, said:
“We are excited by the opportunity to work with TfL and
partners, in delivering such an important project. It’s a great
example of how our innovative transport technology solutions
can help benefit clients, road users and residents with
improved safety and reduced congestion across the transport
network.”
TfL continues to work on a number of major programmes to make
London’s roads and the vehicles using them safer. TfL’s Safer
Junctions programme is making life-saving changes at some of
the capital’s most dangerous and intimidating junctions.
To date, TfL has completed work at a total of 42 junctions,
with construction expected to start on more schemes later this
year.
TfL’s world-first Direct Vision Standard, which reduces lethal
blind spots on lorries, is already helping to save lives and
prevent life-changing injuries. The scheme requires owners of
Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) weighing more than 12 tonnes to
apply for a free permit that assigns vehicles a star rating
based on how much the driver can see directly through their cab
windows in order to be able to drive in London. Since its
introduction, more than 70,000 HGVs have had safe systems
fitted, improving protection for people walking, cycling or
riding e-scooters or motorcycles and saving lives.
Speed limits have also been reduced to 20mph on a number of TfL
roads across the capital and TfL is currently consulting on
reducing the speed limit on 13km of roads within Westminster.
