London trials new technology to increase bus safety

As part of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan plans to eradicate road deaths as a result of London buses by 2030, the new technology will begin with a completely independent trial by leading engineers and technical specialists at the Transport Research Laboratory in Wokingham.

The focus of the trials will be on autonomous emergency braking systems that allow the bus to detect its surroundings, features to alert pedestrians of the presence of a bus, a re-design to reduce the impact of a collision to the front of buses, interior changes to improve passenger safety and an increased field of vision to drivers themselves, including improved mirror designs.

TfL’s managing director of surface transport, Leon Daniels, said, "We are determined to drive down the unacceptable number of people injured or killed on London’s roads, and make streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists."

The results of the trials will feed in to a new Bus Safety Standard to be incorporated into bus operator contracts from the end of 2018.

London’s deputy mayor for transport, Val Shawcross, said, "Nothing is more important to the Mayor than the safety of Londoners. We are doing our utmost to make the streets of the capital safer and these measures can potentially make big improvements to bus safety."