With over 300,000 people injured a year on Great Britain’s highway network, road safety remains a high priority for the Department for Transport (DfT). This is reflected in both their commitment to demanding casualty reduction targets and their insistence that road safety is embedded into all aspects of the Local Transport Plan.
Nottingham City Council has been responsible for road safety since it became a Unitary Authority in 1998. The Council has shared the commitment of the DfT and directed a substantial proportion of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement to local safety schemes. This investment has been supplemented by self financing initiatives such as Safety Camera Partnership, the Driver Improvement Programme and successful award bidding. The benefits of this approach have been demonstrated in substantial casualty savings with performance dramatically exceeding the Government targets.
An updated Road Safety Strategy was prepared in July 2005. It documents the casualty trends in the City for all road user groups and identifies what actions are being undertaken to achieve the casualty reduction targets.
The strategy complements that developed by the County Council with a number of shared objectives. This joint working is further demonstrated in the undertaking of research highlighting the extent to which those involved in crashes in the City live in the County and further afield.
In terms of developing road safety education campaigns there is a need to think regionally. The ‘Shiny Side Up’ partnership for reducing East Midlands motorcycle fatalities and the regional safety camera event at the NEC Motor Show are examples of how both authorities have worked at the regional level to help meet local targets.
At a local level the casualty reduction schemes and road safety educational activities are integrated within the strategic objectives of the City Council. For example, the annual road safety quiz has previously revolved around tram safety with the launch of NET, and in 2007 it featured the redesign of the Old Market Square and promoted safe methods of getting there.
There is also an integrated approach to scheme development. Casualty reduction schemes are integrated into wider transport initiatives that simultaneously address maintenance, accessibility, public transport improvements and regeneration. The regeneration of Aspley Lane and the local shopping centre in 2005 highlighted the co-ordinated approach at a neighbourhood level.
Contacts
Scott Talbot-Hartshorn, Team Leader, Nottingham City Council, Road Safety Services, 4th Floor, Lawrence House, Talbot Street, Nottingham NG2 3NG
0115 915 6583 • scott.talbot@nottinghamcity.gov.uk