The London School of Economics is hosting an event next week (31 October) discussing how to make cycling safer in London.
It says cycling and other forms of active travel have significant benefits for wellbeing, local economies, air pollution and the environment, and that a substantial increase in active travel is needed to achieve London’s 2030 target for net zero carbon emissions.
The LSE says three members of its community have died while cycling in the last year, so more must be done to make London’s roads safer.
“London universities have repeatedly experienced the human cost of unsafe streets, with LSE losing three members of its community in less than a year,” it says. “In response, staff and students initiated a cross-university letter to the London Mayoral candidates. The letter asked candidates to commit to putting a stop to cyclist and pedestrian deaths caused by motor vehicles in London by 2028, and to bring forward the deadline for London’s ‘Vision Zero’, its strategy to eradicate deaths from London’s roads, from 2041 to 2032.”
Building on the letter’s demands, it says this event will focus on how these goals can be achieved. Speakers from academia, policymaking and urban planning will discuss what can be done to make cycling safer and more inclusive, how barriers to implementation can be overcome, and what we can learn from other cities around the world.
The speakers are; Rachel Aldred, Professor in Transport at the University of Westminster and Director of the Active Travel Academy; Marco te Brömmelstroet, Professor of Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam and Academic Director of the Lab of Thought; Will Norman, who became London’s first Walking and Cycling Commissioner in 2016; Julie Plichon, Head of Design and Engineering at Sustrans London; and Ben Rogers – Bloomberg Distinguished Fellow in Government Innovation and Director of the European Cities Programme at LSE Cities.
(File picture – TfL)
