Transport for London (TfL) is working with delivery fleets to help improve road safety with a new voluntary charter.
It’s based on 10 road safety principles that aim to keep motorcycle couriers and other Londoners safe on the road and has been signed by Deliveroo, Getir, Just Eat, Stuart and Uber Eats.
Motorcycles are the highest-risk mode of transport on the road. In London they make up 2.6% of vehicle mileage driven, but accounted for around 27% of deaths and serious injuries from 2017-2021.
On average, around 30 people are killed and 1,000 people seriously injured riding motorcycles in London per year, with the most frequently injured being riders on low-powered motorbikes (below 125cc) and scooters who are riding on L-plates.
Road safety principles set out by the charter include ensuring couriers meet the legal requirements for working and riding in the UK and supporting them in understanding how to ride safely and within the law. It also works to support couriers in ensuring that vehicles are legally compliant and roadworthy.
The charter is also intended to raise awareness of motorcycle rider safety and what can be done to improve standards.
It’s one of a range of measures that TfL is taking to make London’s streets safer for all who use them, and is key to the Mayor’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury from the transport network.
The support of delivery fleets is vital in helping TfL to achieve Vision Zero, and TfL will continue to work with other firms in the industry to encourage them to sign up to the charter.
It’s also asking companies to attend its six-monthly Meal and Grocery Delivery Company Road Safety Forum – which will spotlight progress around implementing the charter, and new ideas to improve road safety.
Lilli Matson, TfL’s chief safety health and environment officer, said: “There has been a significant rise in motorcycle deliveries over the past few years and this cannot come at the expense of safety. People are tragically losing their lives in avoidable motorcycle collisions, which all too often also injure or kill other road users. This is why we’re working closely with delivery, courier and servicing companies to address these sources of road danger and protect the lives of riders and everyone else on London’s streets.”
Earlier this year, TfL, along with motorcycling organisations, road safety charities and other transport authorities, signed a letter calling on the Government to improve compulsory basic training for motorcyclists as they highlight that the current scheme was developed more than 30 years ago.
