Road safety: recent progress and future work
New road safety measures and a list of successful Safer Roads Fund bids.
The UK has some of the safest roads in the world, but every road death is an unnecessary tragedy. That is why the last government set out an ambitious range of further measures to enhance the safety of UK road users in its 2015 Road safety statement.
Today (13 June 2018) I am publishing a progress report on the delivery of the planned actions from that statement. We have made some good headway: 15 of the 23 short-term actions have been delivered including 3 where our original objectives have been exceeded. Penalties for using mobile phones when driving have been significantly increased, we have exceeded our commitments to funding police forces in England and Wales to build drug-driving enforcement capability, and most recently new legislation came into force on 4 June 2018 allowing learners to drive on motorways when accompanied by an instructor in a dual control car. I am placing a copy of the progress report in the libraries of both Houses.
This is good progress. But it is only part of a wider picture.
First, I am pleased today to announce the successful bids for the Safer Roads Fund, which we made available to enable local authorities to improve the 50 most dangerous stretches of ‘A’ roads in England. We are investing £100 million to tackle these dangerous roads. This sum fully funds all bids from the local authorities concerned. The additional £75 million initially allocated for the work has not been required, but we will continue to look closely at further scope for capital improvements to improve road safety.
I am placing a copy of the list of successful local authorities and the sections of roads to be improved in the libraries of both Houses and all local authorities have been notified directly today. A report on the lessons learned from the bidding process is also being published today, to aid knowledge sharing and capacity building amongst local authorities. I have made this report available in the libraries of both Houses as well.
Secondly, last week the Prime Minister also announced 2 important and path-breaking road safety projects: a £350,000 innovation competition to provide police forces with the next generation of mobile breathalyser equipment, enabling swifter and more timely read-outs on drink-driving tests; and a £480,000 partnership between police forces and the RAC Foundation to trial an innovative approach to road collision investigation, carrying out more in-depth, qualitative analysis of the underlying causes of road safety incidents.
This package of measures underlines the government’s recognition of the importance of road safety. But, thirdly, we intend to go further still, and I have asked the department to develop a refreshed road safety statement and a 2 year action plan to address 4 priority user groups - young people, rural road users, motorcyclists and older vulnerable users. The first 3 of these groups are continually overrepresented in our road casualty statistics, while we have data to confirm that the safety of older road users is a growing concern. Our goal is for everyone to continue to enjoy the mobility that driving offers, but to do so safely. The development of this refreshed road safety statement will also take account of the early lessons from the new road collision investigation pilots.
It is important to say that the department cannot and does not seek to achieve all these actions in isolation. We remain grateful for the constructive and expert support of key partners, including motoring groups such as the AA, RAC and the RAC Foundation; road safety campaigners including PACTS, Road Safety Foundation, Brake, Road Safety Trust, and RoSPA; local authorities and the Police, as well as colleagues in other government departments and devolved administrations. Officials will work with these organisations, and with colleagues at DVSA, DVLA and Highways England to deliver this new package of road safety measures.
Safer Roads Fund successful bids
| Road section | Local authority | Bid | Date of allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A40 Stokenchurch –West Wycombe | Buckinghamshire County Council | £999,000 | 2017/18 |
| A628 Ashton-Under – Lyne – A62 | Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | £1,400,000 | 2019/20 |
| A6033 – Hebden Bridge – Cross Roads | Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | £1,432,000 | 2019/20 |
| A6033 – Hebden Bridge – Littleborough | Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | £899,000 | 2019/20 |
| A1303 Stowe-cum-Quy – Newmarket Bypass | Cambridgeshire County Council | £1,302,000 | 2017/18 |
| A532 Ashton-Under – Lyne – A62 | Cheshire County Council | £1,030,500 | 2017/18 |
| A536 Lower Heath A34 – Macclesfield | Cheshire County Council | £2,310,000 | 2020/21 |
| A537 Macclesfield – A34 Buxton | Cheshire County Council | £2,490,000 | 2020/21 |
| A3058 Quintrell Downs – Summercourt A30 | Cornwall County Council | £1,160,000 | 2020/21 |
| A3071 St Just – Penzance A30 | Cornwall County Council | £1,940,000 | 2020/21 |
| A684 M6 J37 – A1 Leeming Bar | Cumbria County Council | £1,987,940 | 2018/19 |
| A592 A591 Windermere – A66 Penrith | Cumbria County Council | £7,440,000 | 2020/21 |
| A619 Bakewell -Baslow | Derbyshire County Council | £1,179,000 | 2018/19 |
| A5012 A515 – A6 Cromford | Derbyshire County Council | £3,079,000 | 2020/21 |
| A5004 Buxton – Whaley | Derbyshire County Council | £2,540,000 | 2020/21 |
| A3121 Ermington A37 – Wrangaton A38 | Devon County Council | £1,900,000 | 2019/20 |
| A3123 Mullacott Cross A361 – A399 | Devon County Council | £2,200,000 | 2020/21 |
| A67 A66 Bowes – Barnard Castle | Durham County Council | £528,000 | 2017/18 |
| A161 Goole -Ealand | East Riding of Yorkshire Council | £3,861,000 | 2017/18 |
| A4173 A38 – Pitchcombe A46 | Gloucestershire County Council | £2,160,000 | 2017/18 |
| A27 Fareham – Cosham | Hampshire County Council | £178,000 | 2017/18 |
| A32 Fareham – Gosport | Hampshire County Council | £149,000 | 2017/18 |
| A36 Wigley – Totton | Hampshire County Council | £568,000 | 2017/18 |
| A27 Fareham – Cosham | Hampshire County Council | £600,000 | 2019/20 |
| A32 Fareham – Gosport | Hampshire County Council | £1,581,000 | 2019/20 |
| A36 Wigley – Totton | Hampshire County Council | £180,000 | 2019/20 |
| A252 Charing A20 – Chilham A28 | Kent County Council | £2,146,000 | 2019/20 |
| A290 Canterbury – Seasalter | Kent County Council | £1,501,000 | 2020/21 |
| A682 Barrowford -A65 Long Preston | Lancashire County Council | £450,000 | 2018/19 |
| A588 Lancaster – Skippool A585 | Lancashire County Council | £1,904,000 | 2018/19 |
| A683 Lancaster – A65 Kirkby Lonsdale | Lancashire County Council | £3,110,000 | 2019/20 |
| A6 Lancaster-M6 J33 | Lancashire County Council | £1,216,000 | 2019/20 |
| A581 A59 Rufford – A49 Euxton | Lancashire County Council | £1,263,000 | 2020/21 |
| A1084 Brigg – Caistor | Lincolnshire County Council | £1,245,000 | 2019/20 |
| A631 Bishop Ridge – Market Rasen | Lincolnshire County Council | £645,000 | 2019/20 |
| A631 Market Rasen – Louth | Lincolnshire County Council | £2,725,000 | 2020/21 |
| A18 Laceby – Ludborough | North East Lincolnshire Council | £2,822,000 | 2018/19 |
| A161 Urban Area | North Lincolnshire Council | £3,225,000 | 2020/21 |
| A167 Topcliffe – Carloton Miniott | North Yorkshire County Council | £900,000 | 2017/18 |
| A684 M6 37 – A1 Leeming Bar | North Yorkshire County Council | £7,065,000 | 2018/19 |
| A682 Barrowford – Long Preston | North Yorkshire County Council | £615,000 | 2018/19 |
| A6108 Ripon – Scotch Corner | North Yorkshire County Council | £2,972,000 | 2020/21 |
| A371 Weston-Super- Mare A370 – Banwell | North Somerset Council | £982,000 | 2019/20 |
| A634 Maltby – Blyth | Nottinghamshire County Council | £2,181,000 | 2017/18 |
| A670 Ashton-under-Lyne – A62 | Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council | £962,000 | 2019/20 |
| A361 Banbury – Chipping Norton | Oxfordshire County Council | £4,135,000 | 2017/18 |
| A27 Fareham – Corsham | Portsmouth | £178,000 | 2017/18 |
| A27 Fareham – Corsham | Portsmouth | £61,000 | 2019/20 |
| A529 Hinstock A41 – Market Drayton A53 | Shropshire County Council | £3,888,000 | 2018/19 |
| A4 M4 J7 – M4 J5 | Slough Borough Council | £1,711,000 | 2020/21 |
| A57 M62 J7- Lingley Green | St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council | £1,040,000 | 2019/20 |
| A1290 Usworth – West Bolden | Sunderland Borough Council | £210,000 | 2017/18 |
| A1290 Usworth – West Bolden | Sunderland Borough Council | £782,500 | 2020/21 |
| A217 Reigate – Gatwick | Surrey County Council | £1,117,000 | 2020/21 |
| A126 Lakeside – Tilbury | Thurrock Borough Council | £2,488,792 | 2020/21 |
| A285 Petworth – Boxgrove | West Sussex County Council | £1,532,000 | 2017/18 |