Lancashire County Council has announced a £1m investment to improve road safety across Lancashire.
The exact package will be based on the results of newly commissioned research to establish a robust evidence base on the most effective way to further cut deaths and serious injuries.
The research will consider all current schemes within Lancashire and be carried out in the context of the county council’s new Public Health service to take into account the importance of changing attitudes to road safety and the wider health benefits of road safety initiatives to establish the best way forward.
The research methodology will be scrutinised by a local university to establish that robust interventions are! developed based upon the evidence.
County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Casualties on Lancashire’s roads are continuing to fall, bucking the national trend, but I’m well aware that many communities remain concerned about safety on their local roads and want us to work with them, because one accident is one too many.
“We will be providing £1m to establish schemes to reduce accidents based on solid evidence. We’ll use the latest information available and will consider not only the 20mph areas but all the work which has been carried out by local communities, the police, and through engineering work.
“The police collect detailed data on the cause of every accident in which someone is killed or seriously injured, providing an excellent source of evidence to work from.
“The funding for the schemes will be made available once the evidence has been established and will not a! ffect existing services. In the meantime, we’ll continue with the exis ting programme to establish 20mph as the normal speed limit in residential areas and outside schools.
“We believe by working with all are partners utilising our abilities and determination we can make our roads safer for the people of Lancashire.”
The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety has seen councils work closely with the police and other organisations to achieve a significant reduction in deaths and serious injuries over many years through a combination of road improvements, enforcement and education working closely with communities across Lancashire.
Examples of schemes the £1m budget could be used for include:
• Engineering measures such as lower speed limits, warning signs, speed humps, chicanes and junction improvements.
• ‘Community engagement’ schemes such as Community Road Watch and School Road Watch, which see local people and schoolchildren work with the police to monitor vehicle speeds ! and convey their concerns to local drivers.
• Education initiatives aimed at reducing accidents among targeted groups if the evidence shows that better communication or information could reduce their risk.