Campaigners today welcomed plans by Transport for London to dramatically overhaul its bus safety programme to save dozens of lives.
It plans to introduce better anti-collision technology and include more safety incentives in bus contracts. Since December 2009, 77 people have been killed in accidents involving TfL buses, including 46 pedestrians.
Safety campaigner Tom Kearney, who was left fighting for his life after being hit by a bus in Oxford Street six years ago, said: “This gives me hope that because bus safety is now a priority, starting from today, deaths from incidents involving TfL buses will begin to head toward zero. I’m very pleased.” Under the safety strategy:
New collision avoidance systems, with sensors which warn drivers of potential dangers and trigger emergency brakes, will be trialled this year and introduced next year;
Contracts with bus operating companies will feature greater safety incentives and more transparency on bus collision investigations;
An incident support service will be introduced, with a named contact at TfL available in the case of serious or fatal accidents;
More detailed bus collision data will be collected;
All 24,700 London bus drivers will get more stringent safety training.
TfL hopes the strategy will help it meet the Mayor’s target of halving the number of people killed or seriously hurt on the capital’s roads by 2020.
Boris Johnson said: “I’m proud we have one of the safest bus networks in the world but I’m determined to see it get even better by making the most of the latest technology and initiatives to keep passengers and road users safe.”
