Lancashire County Council is to invest £1m in a raft of new schemes to improve road safety over the next two years, with both Lancaster and Morecambe set to benefit.
County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, has agreed the package which features a comprehensive range of measures based on research about the most effective way to cut deaths and serious injuries at accident hotspots, and reduce speeds at sites of community concern.
The county council has worked with the University of Central Lancashire to confirm its approach to analyse police data to identify locations and patterns of accidents, ensuring the new investment is targeted where it will have the biggest impact.
The result is a range of proposals designed to target specific problems. Schemes to be developed over the next year two years include:
• £35,000 investment in signs at roundabouts and junctions will remind drivers to look out for cyclists at locations in Preston, Lancaster and South Ribble where there is a record of accidents to cyclists, many of whom were struck after motorists failed to spot them.
• 20mph areas in Preston, Morecambe and Burnley will see £65,000 spent on physical traffic calming measures such as speed cushions and enhanced signing. This includes repairs and improvements to existing schemes in Burnley.
• Subject to consultation, a number of small 20mph areas are being considered ! in residential parts of Rossendale, Preston, Ribble Valley and Wyre to complement existing schemes throughout the county.
A further programme of schemes which require more detailed design and consultation will also be carried out in 2015/16 across the county.
“As a key member of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, we’ve been working closely with partners including the police and fire service for many years to make our roads safer,” said County Councillor Fillis, “and I’m glad to say many fewer people are killed and seriously injured on our roads now than just four or five years ago.
“However, death or serious injury has a major impact on individuals and their families, as well as our economy, which is why investment in road safety continues to be a high priority for the county council, despite the pressures on our budget due to central government cuts.
“This being the case we’ve carried out very careful research to make sure every penny of the £1m we’ll be spending on new measures over the next two years makes a real difference to preventing accidents and improving people’s lives where speeding is an ongoing problem.
“These schemes also demonstrate our increasing focus on supporting sustainable modes of transport, with a number of them being designed to make walking an easier option and to ensure the safety of cyclists on some of our busiest roads.”