The charter consists of 10 road safety principles including:
- Committing to Vision Zero and eradicating deaths and serious injuries from London’s roads;
- Ensuring couriers meet the legal requirements for working and riding in the UK;
- Supporting couriers in understanding how to ride safely and within the law;
- Supporting couriers to ensure that vehicles are legally compliant and roadworthy;
- Attending six-monthly forums to discuss progress 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.”
The charter is certainly a positive development to help workers who are otherwise forgotten or taken for granted. As this particular agreement is with TfL it is currently only operational in London, however we hope other cities follow suit.
