Tom Kearney: Politico's fine profile of Tom and his TFL bus campaign

The opening of Politico's profile of Tom Kearney.

Tom Kearney, a US executive living in London, was hit by a bus on London's Oxford Street in 2009 and left in a coma. Fortunately he survived and has subsequently waged a persistent campaign to improve the safety record of London's buses. Politico has recently published a fine profile of Kearney and his campaign.

Read the rest here. 

On October 15th 2015 The Evening Standard reported on official figures that showed that one person is killed by a London bus every three weeks.

'Between April 2007 and March this year (2015), bus collisions killed 128 people on the capital’s roads. A further 14 died following “slips, trips and falls” while on board.' 

Read the rest here. 

From my own experience either while riding on London buses as well as out on my bike is that some London bus drivers drive recklessly often exceeding the speed limit, especially when out of the centre of London or when traffic is light.  This is particularly noticeable late in the evening when traveling back from the centre to Forest Hill

For instance it would be interesting to know how many 363 buses travel along Sydenham Hill at 20 mph – the speed limit. 

Doubtless there is a temptation to make up time lost in heavy traffic in the centre of London on quieter roads in the suburbs. Bus operators and Transport for London (Tfl) should be insisting that safety rather than timetables are paramount. 

The difference between the amount of media and official interest in bus accidents and the horrific Croydon tram accident on 9th November 2016 is stark. May be this is because tram accidents are very rare, while those involving buses are more frequent. 

Follow Tom's campaign on Twitter and also his blog.