Elly Baker AM Backs Campaign for Crackdown on Carspreading Across London

Elly Baker AM joins the campaign calling for a crackdown on cars getting progressively larger on London’s streets.  

She was joined by Claire Corkery, whose parents were killed in 2024 by a speeding SUV, and Katy Heald, whose 4 year old was knocked off his bike by an SUV driver who could not see her child over the car bonnet.  

The campaign, led by Clean Cities and Save the School Run, is pushing for stronger regulation to curb the growing size of cars across London. Their studies have found that London has the highest proportion of SUVs compared to any other major urban area in the country. They have also found that, since 2014, there has been a 92% increase in American-style ‘pick up trucks’ on UK roads.  

The Mayor of London has already outlined plans to curb the growing size of cars in London, with the Vision Zero Action Plan 2. It pledges an assessment from TfL to investigate the full impact of oversized SUVs on London’s streets. Elly Baker AM posed the question to the Mayor about when this assessment is likely to be finished.  

Watch the interaction below.

Elly Baker AM, Londonwide Assembly Member and Labour’s Transport Spokesperson on the London Assembly, said;

“London’s roads weren’t designed for these constantly growing vehicles.    

We’ve made real progress on road safety, but the rapid growth of SUVs raises legitimate questions about visibility, road space and, most importantly, the safety of children, many of whom can’t be seen over the bonnet of these vehicles. That’s why the Government should introduce a fairer Vehicle Excise Duty system that takes vehicle weight into account. Boroughs should also consider raising parking charges for vehicles that take up more space. 

Larger vehicles can have a bigger impact on our streets, whether that’s space or safety. As vehicles get bigger, policies need to keep pace.”