The Bikeability Trust & Living Streets have released a report that suggests that poor public awareness of 2022 updates to the Highway Code is creating conflict between users of all modes of transport.
The report, ‘Safer Streets for All: The Upcoming Government Road Safety Strategy’, found that less than 2/3rds of adults were able to correctly answer a Highway Code question on pedestrian priority.
A YouGov poll commissioned by The Bikeability Trust and Living Streets also revealed that people who cycle at least weekly were 21% more likely than the national average to answer a Highway Code question correctly.
The report’s recommendations include:
- Aligning new cars to EU standards on smart-tech such as Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA), Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Legislating to curb the rising size and weight of private cars on UK roads – SUVs and pickup trucks now account for 66% of all new vehicle registrations in the UK
- Swedish-style progressive fines based on income percentage, where fines for traffic violations are based on a percentage of a person’s income
- Embedding Bikeability and the Highway Code into primary and secondary education
The Bikeability Trust and Living Streets also recommend that the government fund universal access to Bikeability cycle training for all school-age children in England.
READ MORE: London’s 20mph speed limits improves road safety, TfL research shows
This includes aligning all adult cycle training with the National Standard for Cycle Training, expand and fund the Cycle Savvy Driving programme, and develop national training standards for commercial cargo bike use.
Since the last Road Safety Strategy in 2011, rates of serious injury, and therefore overall numbers of people killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads, have stayed higher than the worst-case forecast from 2011.
Evidence submitted to the Safer Streets for All report focused on the disproportionate risks faced by vulnerable road users, with risks more pronounced for women than men.
The report’s YouGov polling shows that 22% of Londoners say the roads near them are safer now than 12 months ago – nearly three times higher than the national average of 8% and directly proportional to the average spend per head on active travel, at £10 nationally and £24 in the capital.
Lastly, the report recommends that 10% of all transport spend nationwide should be on walking and cycling, with minimum £35 per head per year on physical infrastructure for active travel.
Chief executive at The Bikeability Trust Emily Cherry said: “The opportunity to create a new Road Safety Strategy is a green light for the Government to make bold, historic changes that protect and enshrine the rights and safety of every road user, now and for future generations.
“Britain’s roads could become the gold standard for promoting active travel and protecting vulnerable users – our report recommendation has been informed by our work with parents, young people, children, teachers, experts, partners and delivery riders.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with Government on reforming road safety as a significant contributor to the Government missions.”
Achievements in road safety will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
