Transport for London (TfL) will bring in lower speed limits across the central London TfL road network in a significant move to reduce road danger across the capital, starting on Monday 2nd March.

The new 20mph speed limits will be enforced across all TfL roads within the Congestion Charging Zone – including Millbank, Victoria Embankment and Borough High Street – following strong public support for the proposals.

The 20mph speed limits are supported by new signage and road markings, with raised pedestrian crossings being installed in prominent locations where a high number of people walk, including near Embankment and Tower Hill Underground stations and outside the Tate Britain. TfL will recalibrate all the speed cameras in central London and will work closely with the Metropolitan Police to ensure that drivers are complying with the new safer speed limits.

As part of the joint commitment with TfL to eliminate death and serious injury from London's roads, the Metropolitan Police will continue to target dangerous, careless and illegal driving across London’s roads. From April, a new speed enforcement team will identify speeding drivers across the capital, including within the new 20mph speed limits. The team will be deployed to known high-risk locations for speeding and will respond to stakeholder and community concerns about drivers speeding in their area, equipped with the newest laser video speed enforcement technology.

Speed is a factor in around 37 per cent of collisions in London where a person dies or is seriously injured, which is why reducing the speed limit is key to the Mayor's Vision Zero commitment to eliminate death and serious injury from London's transport network.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am absolutely determined to do everything I can to eradicate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads and these new measures are a vital step along the way to helping us to achieve this. By cutting speed limits on TfL’s roads within the Congestion Zone we are saving lives, while at the same time making our streets more appealing for Londoners to walk and cycle around the capital.”

Lilli Matson, Chief Health, Safety and Environment Officer at TfL, said: “Millions of walking and cycling journeys are made across our city every single day and a person is five times less likely to be fatally injured if hit at 20mph than at 30mph – it’s as straightforward as that. Ensuring the safety of Londoners and visitors is paramount, which is why we are introducing a safer speed limit for all road users in central London.

“It's clear the new 20mph speed limits will not only save lives but will also encourage Londoners to travel in more active and sustainable ways. We’re committed to eliminating unsafe speeds and dangerous driving across our network and are working closely with our Metropolitan Police partners to ensure the new speed limits are robustly enforced, as part of our Vision Zero commitment to eliminate death and serious injury from our streets and transport network.”

Figures from 2016, 2017 and 2018 show 131 people were killed in speed-related collisions on London's streets.  A further 2,256 people were reported as seriously injured in collisions where speed was recorded as a contributory factor. Cutting speeds from 30mph to 20mph significantly reduces the likelihood and severity of these collisions, saving lives. People walking and cycling are particularly vulnerable to speeding vehicles and nine pedestrians have already tragically died on London’s roads this year.

The changes mirror the lower speed limits already in place across many borough roads in central London. The Mayor and TfL will continue to engage with boroughs to further reduce speed limits across London, reducing road danger for all road users and providing consistency for drivers.

Last year’s consultation drew nearly 2,000 responses from the public, with half of respondents saying that a 20mph speed limit would have a positive impact on walking. Almost two-thirds thought that the proposals would lead to more people cycling and four in ten thought that the proposals would have a positive impact on public transport. Additional comments received supported TfL’s aims to make London’s streets safer, more pleasant and welcoming to encourage more people out of their cars to walk, cycle and use public transport. There were also suggestions to introduce lower speeds as quickly as possible to improve driver behaviour.

A new TfL marketing campaign focuses on the changes coming into force on 2 March, highlighting the importance of lower speeds and encouraging road users to comply with the new 20mph speed limits. The campaign is live across radio, print and digital advertising.

Over the next five years, TfL will work with boroughs and the public to introduce lower speed limits more widely across the capital. TfL aims to introduce safer speed limits across a further 140km of its road network, focusing on high-risk sections of road, town centres where people walk and cycle, and streets neighbouring ambitious local speed reduction programmes led by London boroughs.

Achieving lower speeds in London is vital for achieving TfL’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from the transport network by 2041.