Campaign: Speed management programme
Locations: Under Review
Background and purpose:
The overall Aim of the Project is to contribute to the reduction in road casualties through the Road Safety Plan. This will be achieved by reducing average vehicle speeds in built-up areas, thereby reducing the number and severity of road traffic collisions. Additional resources to undertake anti-skid resurfacing works will further contribute to the reduction.
The Council has a statutory duty to prepare and carry out a programme of measures designed to promote road safety under The Road Traffic Act 1988.
The project is also a manifesto commitment based on public concerns about the impact speeding vehicles is perceived to have on the quality of life and community safety. To help address the public concerns, the council is introducing a number of schemes including educational projects; highway safety works and speed restrictions in sensitive areas, also agreed are:
- £800,000 of anti-skid work to replace worn out road surfaces;
- £760,000 to install reactive speed signs;
- £200,000 in the current year to introduce 20mph speed limits where possible outside Island schools;
- £100,000 on a road safety and education advertising campaign;
- £316,000 on initiatives with the Safety Camera Partnership;
- £15,000 on Community Speedwatch.
Progress report:
- Safer Roads Partnership
The Leader’s speech stated that, through the Safety Camera Partnership, which operates safety cameras throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, an initiative would be introduced whereby drivers could choose to attend a speed awareness course rather than receive points on their licence. A pilot of this approach was run recently and proved to be extremely successful. The intention is to roll this approach out during the Autumn of 2007.
- Community Speed Watch
Community Speed Watch involves local communities monitoring the speed of vehicles and passing this information on to the Police. The first of these has been advertised in The Fairway, Lake and was launched earlier in the year. Work is ongoing to encourage other Parish and Town Councils to take part in this initiative.
- 20mph speed limits outside of school entrances
The first tranche of limits are being introduced in time for the start of the new school term in September. Schools at Sandown; Cowes; Ryde and Carisbrooke are amongst the first to be delievered.
Further schools will be treated later in the year.
- A new forum tasked with coordinating efforts to improve road safety and reducing accidents on the Island has been launched. The Road Safety Forum includes representatives from the council, police, fire and rescue service and the Island’s NHS primary care trust.
The idea is that the safety and awareness initiatives can be best co-ordinated by a single body with representatives from all local bodies with a statutory duty to reduce the number of traffic accidents. The forum held its first meeting in Newport when terms of reference and the progress of schemes to cut the number of road accidents were discussed. It was also decided the forum should be the single point of reference for outside organisations wanting to arrange road safety demonstrations such as crash scene re-enactments. Peter Taylor, the council’s road safety advocate, said: “There is a great deal of enthusiasm and commitment to build on the good work already being carried out to reduce accidents across the Island. By working more closely together we can pool resources and expertise to deliver a first class service and continue to reduce death and injury on our roads.”
Activities for next period:
- Speed reactive signs – initial sites will be identified during the summer.
- Anti-skid work to replace worn out road surfaces – initial sites will be identified during the summer.
- Further speed awareness days planned.
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