Factors influencing pedestrian safety: a literature reviw

This report presents the results of a review of the relevant technical literature to investigate how pedestrian behaviour might be influenced, in ways most acceptable to pedestrians and other road users, to reduce the number of casualties on London’s roads.

The report concluded there are no simple universal solutions that would reduce pedestrian casualties in London, particularly because of the large numbers of pedestrians and high traffic flows on London’s roads.

It suggests that the problem should be addressed at a strategic level and a hierarchical approach based on hot spots, but also aimed at systematically improving pedestrian safety.

Enforcement measures such as safety cameras, and in the long term in-car speed limiters, are best applied on strategic routes where physical traffic calming measures would reduce capacity.

Education is best targeted at a particular behaviour (e.g. speeding) or a particular group (e.g school children or older people).