Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics they have on the number of accidents where a shared space pedestrian crossing has been installed; and whether those statistics indicate an increase in such accidents.

The design of traffic management schemes, including whether to install a shared space scheme, is the responsibility of local authorities. Shared space may incorporate what are sometimes called ‘courtesy crossings’, but these have no formal definition. They are similar in principle to informal dropped kerb crossings, which can be used to provide a crossing place where a controlled crossing is not justified.

The Department for Transport’s guidance on shared space schemes is given in the attached Local Transport Note 1/11: Shared Space.

The Department has also circulated to local authorities guidance produced by the National Federation for the Blind on ‘Access for Blind People in Towns’.

The Department receives correspondence on issues relating to all aspects of traffic management, including shared space. The correspondents range from individual members of the public to local authorities, engineering practitioners, and campaign groups.

The Department’s road safety statistics do not record whether an incident took place on a courtesy crossing, as these are not defined.