Pedestrian crossings unsafe, says Mayor

Up to half of the 1,700 pedestrian crossings in London are unsafe, according to Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Following research by Transport for London, officials have begun an urgent road safety review amid fears that walkers are being put at risk.

They say many crossings are incorrectly positioned or are phased so that pedestrians have too little time to get across safely. Moves are under way to reprogramme traffic signals so pedestrians have enough time to cross. Adjustments are also being made so walkers do not have to wait so long for the signal to cross.

Experts believe walkers are more likely to make an unsafe crossing if they are forced to wait more than 10 seconds.

The situation is being adversely compared with New York, where Mr Livingstone's team said pedestrian crossings were safer and more straightforward.

As part of his efforts to reduce traffic, Mr Livingstone is keen to convince Londoners to walk more often.

He said: "This is a situation we inherited. It seems to me that the people who ran London Regional Transport and the road network had a contempt for pedestrians. They were only interested in cars. Half of the crossings are only there to keep the traffic flowing. You need to have the green man stay up for longer because, as things stand, half of the pedestrian crossing are not safe."

Jay Walder, the finance director for TfL recruited from New York, said he saw the problem as he walked around London with his children.

He said: "You see clearly, time after time, that pedestrians don't have a clear indication of how to cross streets in London, or the ability to do so in a timely fashion. People who live here get around that in different ways. They look around for themselves to see the cars coming and don't wait for the green man to flash. The frustration leads to people crossing in areas that are unsafe."

He added: "You can't have lots of little initiatives if you are going to make London a better walking city. You must take things on in a major way.

"New York is easier to walk around in terms of the clarity the pedestrian gets."

Last year charity Living Streets released the report Many Roads to Cross, which highlighted the perils pedestrians faced in places like Vauxhall Cross and Cambridge Circus.

Philip Connolly, London manager of Living Streets, said: "The Mayor is absolutely right. There are many locations in London where there are more people on the pavement than cars going through that space, but they are not given adequate or safe crossings.

"Many transport departments have highway engineers whose focus is on movement. Holding up cars is anathema to them."

The Mayor has earmarked £14 million in his budget for a road-safety plan. His team wants to cut the numbers killed or seriously injured on London's roads by 40 per cent by 2010.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 857 pedestrians were killed last year and 41,176 were injured.

Those most at risk are children between the ages of five and 14.

The society adds that, on built-up roads, one fifth of all pedestrians injured are on or near a pedestrian crossing.