Whilst preventing deaths and serious injuries is extremely important, these projects are not primarily about numbers of people killed or injured on the road; they are about making it possible for people who currently feel forced to use cars for every small journey to adopt walking and cycling for as many journeys as possible.
This is crucial if we are to address climate change, poor air quality caused by pollution and particulates, noise, broken communities, physical and mental health, and the consequential load on the NHS. The evidence on all these issues is now incontrovertible.