New Funding To Improve Road Safety
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced £47.5 million of funding for 27 of the UK’s most dangerous roads in a bid to improve safety.
The third round of the Safer Roads Fund will drive the safety improvements required, including redesigning junctions and enhancing road markings and signage.
Good news for all motorists as well as existing and new motor trade businesses, like insurance brokers, breakdown recovery vehicles and mobile wheel and tyre fitters.
The programme has so far provided £100 million to improve the 50 most hazardous roads in England, with the majority of the accidents occurring on rural roads.
The allocation of funds for the new schemes is based on independent data provided by the Road Safety Foundation, which analyses risk based on data on fatal and serious injuries and traffic levels.
Some of the safety schemes receiving DfT funding include:
A13 – Southend-on-Sea Council – £3,425,000
A3102- Wiltshire Council - £6,980,000
A35 – Bournemouth Borough Council – £1,890,625
A104 – Essex County Council – £1,360,000
A35 – Hampshire County Council- £6,040,000
A3056 – Isle of Wight Council – £2,140,000
A186 – Newcastle Upon Tyne City Council – £3,650,000
Executive Director of the Road Safety Foundation Dr Suzy Charman said: “The commitment and funding announced today is transformational for road safety teams in local authorities across the country. It will allow them to proactively reduce risk and make these 27 roads safer and more inviting for all road users.2
2Systematic changes have already had a big impact on road death and serious injury, for example seatbelts and airbags protect lives when crashes happen. In the same way we can design roads safely so when crashes occur, people can walk away.”
“This can be done by clearing or protecting roadsides, putting in cross hatchings to add space between vehicles which provides safer junctions like roundabouts, or adding signalisation and/or turning pockets, and including facilities for walking and cycling.”
Early estimates suggest the investment will prevent around 760 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years, generating a societal benefit of £420m. The overall benefit cost ratio of the investment is estimated at 7.4, with a £7.40 societal benefit for every £1 invested.
Mark Harper, Transport Secretary, said: “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe. We’re injecting £47.5m so that local councils around the country have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while reducing congestion and emissions and supporting local economies.”
The Government’s latest funding round complements plans to establish the first-ever Road Safety Investigation Branch, which will recruit a specialist team of inspectors to investigate incidents and gain an enhanced understanding of how to mitigate collisions.
