Anyone who uses roads in Birmingham is being invited to have their say during the development of a new Road Safety Strategy for the city. The invite has been issued by Cllr James McKay, Cabinet Member for Inclusion and Community Safety, whose portfolio includes road safety.
Cllr McKay said: “Road safety is an absolute priority for this council. Long-term trends show a fall in accidents and fatalities on our roads – but we must not let that lull us into a false sense of security. “That is why we are seeking input and feedback that will help us shape a new Road Safety Strategy for Birmingham.
“Whether you are a pedestrian, motorists, cyclist, lorry driver, motorbike rider or anyone else who has a reason to use our roads, we want to hear from you.”The draft strategy has been developed in conjunction with Birmingham-based RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and has three broad strands: Safer Roads, Safer People and Safer Vehicles.
Nick Lloyd, Road Safety Manager for RoSPA, said: “Birmingham City Council have developed a Road Safety Strategy which has a clear vision and tangible action plans targeting those most at risk. “We are encouraged to see that the council is adopting the World Health Organisation’s Safe Systems Approach. This recognises that people make mistakes, and given this, roads are designed in a way so that mistakes do not frequently result in death or serious injury. By adopting this approach Birmingham’s roads will become much safer.”
Christina Brown, Road Safety Evaluation Officer for RoSPA, added: “We’re delighted that Birmingham City Council have used local casualty statistics to gain a real understanding of the road safety priorities in the city. This has enabled them to create targeted action plan to make effective use of their resources.”
Anyone wishing to offer feedback on the strategy will be able to review the document and related materials on the council’s website later this week at www.birmingham.gov.uk/roadsafetystrategy. The closing date for feedback is October 23.
It is then expected that the final version of the new Road Safety Strategy will be approved by the end of the 2015 calendar year.
