New data from Transport for London sparks concern over safety on borough’s roads, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

A 'kill your speed' traffic warning sign — A ‘kill your speed’ traffic warning sign

Barnet recorded the highest number of road deaths in London last year, according to provisional figures from Transport for London (TfL).

The TfL data shows there were six fatalities on the borough’s public roads resulting from vehicle collisions during 2022, which is double the previous year’s figure.

Eight other London boroughs recorded five road deaths each last year according to the data, which is based on Stats19 figures detailing road traffic accidents that were reported to the police within 30 days.

These figures do not include confirmed suicides, private roads and car parks, deaths resulting from natural causes rather than the collision itself, and injuries that prove fatal more than 30 days after the collision.

The Mayor of London’s transport strategy includes a ‘vision zero’ pledge to ensure there are no deaths or serious injuries on the capital’s transport network by 2041.

A TfL spokesperson said: “Any death or serious injury is a tragedy and completely unacceptable, and we’re committed to doing everything possible to eliminate them from London’s roads as part of our vision zero approach.

“As traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels, we have sadly seen an increase in the number of road traffic fatalities across London compared to the years affected by lockdowns, and six of these were in Barnet.

“We’re determined to bring this number down to zero and are working with Barnet on a number of proposals to reduce danger in the borough. We’ll continue to work closely with local residents and the borough to ensure that roads are safe for everyone who lives and works in Barnet.”

A Barnet Council spokesperson said the local authority was “always striving to improve road safety”, with current work including education in schools and other settings, reviews of casualty records, and schemes to provide more pedestrian lights at traffic-signalled junctions.

Further measures being undertaken by the council include cycle training, parking controls to help inter-visibility between road users, and a programme to introduce ‘school streets’ to restrict traffic around schools at pick-up and drop-off times.

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