We help make both London and the UK safer for cycling through improving and enforcing the rules of the road.
20 mph: the urban default
LCC has long backed safer speed limits.
Most Inner London boroughs now have a 20mph default speed limit, and Transport for London is increasing the amount of its roads that are also 20mph. This TfL map shows London slowly going 20mph in part thanks to our ongoing campaigning. More than 50% of motor vehicle collisions with people at over 40mph kill; at 20mph that chance falls to less than 2%. Faster motor traffic is also more intimidating to those walking and cycling too.
As of summer 2024, 11 London boroughs currently have 20mph limits as a default.
Road traffic offence enforcement
Better rules and lower speed limits are little use if they are not complied with.
- Speed limit enforcement: LCC is a regular attendee at the Mayor’s Vision Zero stakeholder meetings, where the aim is to achieve zero road fatalities or serious injuries by 2041. We have supported speed enforcement backed by a target of one million speeding tickets issued per year in London by 2026. In 2024 more than half a million speeding tickets a year are already being issued.
- Third party reporting: We support the use of public reporting to enforce road traffic offences via phones, dash-cams and helmet cams. The current Met Police road traffic incident reporting portal enables members of the public to report crimes such as phone use while driving and close-passing. Third party reporting has continued to secure high levels of Notice of Intended Prosecutions – with a success rate from public submissions of around 40%.
Highway Code Changes
We welcomed the 2022 updates to the Highway Code that we lobbied for, along with other organisations.
We now have clarity on:
- Turning drivers and cyclists giving way to pedestrians and cyclists proceeding straight ahead (whether on the road, pavement or in a cycle lane).
- How close is too close for drivers to pass those cycling: 1.5 metres below 30mph, 2 meters above.
- How to avoid so-called “dooring collisions” when a carelessly opened car door can injure a cyclist. Drivers are advised to use their left hand to open the door forcing them to look backwards. It’s a common-sense behaviour that may prevent collisions.
