Agenda item - ROAD SAFETY IN NOTTINGHAM

Agenda item

ROAD SAFETY IN NOTTINGHAM

Scott-Talbot-Hartshorne, Road Safety and Traffic Control Officer for Nottingham City Council, to report.

Minutes:

Scott Talbot-Hartshorne, Nottingham City Council Service Manager for Road Safety, was in attendance to inform the Forum of the work and remit of his Team.

 

The following points were highlighted and questions responded to:

 

(a)  Incidents for the past 5 years where citizens have been injured or killed, are recorded on a map of the City which is then used to identify areas of concern on which resources can be focused to try and address issues and prevent further incidents;

 

(b)  On average there are approximately 100 incidents reported per year (including a fatality in 2018) but Nottingham’s roads are some of the safest in the region;

 

(c)  In addition to the human cost, the financial cost to the general economy of casualties/fatalities can be in the region of £2m, whilst addressing the issues which may contribute to incidents can be averaged to approximately £65k;

 

(d)  The Road Safety Team is called upon by several departments within the Council, including assessing and advising on planning applications and proposals, events and education. Although the Road Safety Team do not have any statutory powers, if road safety advice is provided to developers but not acted upon, if an incident occurs and results in a fatality, the developer may be charged with corporate manslaughter;

 

(e)  Generally, road safety advice is well received but with regard to some vehicle drivers intimidating cyclists, including passing too closely, it is advised that cyclists report this to the Police, particularly if they have film evidence;

 

(f)  Schools within the City are encouraged to take part in an annual road safety quiz, for which the highest scoring schools are invited to a quiz final and awards event. The average quiz score is 76% and this year 73 schools (96%) are participating, with the quiz final, involving 10 schools, will be held on 9 May 2019;

 

(g)  Children and young people are also encouraged to learn how to ride a bicycle safely with Year 6 pupils having the opportunity to take part in ‘Bikeability’, which was formerly known as the ‘cycling proficiency test’;

 

(h)  In participating schools, sixth form pupils have the opportunity to take a BTech Level 2 in driving and driver education. It is hoped that this course can be made available to other groups;

 

(i)  In locations where there have been 2 or more incidents reported in a year, the site is assessed to identify where and how safety improvements can feasibly be achieved;

 

(j)  An annual report on road safety and incidents is undertake across the whole City and by ward, and circulated to Councillors as they are the only source of funding for road safety improvements, with no other routes to attract external funding;

 

(k)  Where consistent speeding concerns are raised, there are several successful options including bellisa beacons, road humps and doll bollards - which were first introduced in Nottingham in 2005, and which are now used nationwide;

 

(l)  Road safety issues were considered in detail with regard to the tram works relating to the construction impact and also how the finished network would operate. A safety consultant was engaged by the contractor and liaised with the Road Safety Team which agreed with 90% of recommendations;

 

(m)  Working in partnership across the City boundary is mutually beneficial to Councils and citizens, but this is not always possible due to differing policies and budgets;

 

(n)  Shared pedestrian and vehicle space within the City, such as parts of Station Street, have proved successful and despite initial reservations, there has only been one incident since the introduction;

 

(o)  There is a perception that the residential street speed reductions from 30mph to 20mph has contributed to reducing accidents but as the majority of incidents happen on the main and more major roads, the data does not support this perception, however, the change is considered beneficial to many residents;

 

(p)  With traffic speeds generally reducing, the numbers of citizens cycling and walking has increased;

 

(q)  Where citizens have concerns over persistent speeding vehicles, they should inform the local Police as they do have enforcement powers and work closely in supporting local road safety groups which can be provided with equipment to undertake speed monitoring activity.

 

AGREED

 

(1)  to record the thanks of the Forum to Scott Talbot-Hartshorne for his attendance and presentation, and also to the Road Safety their proactive work;

 

(2)  for John Lee to circulate the presentation to Forum members.