Road deaths cut but targets missed

From the archive, first published Saturday 30th Dec 2006.

Road safety chiefs are stepping up efforts to cut road deaths and injuries as it emerged the district is failing to meet national casualty reduction targets.

Bradford saw a year-on-year cut in killed or serious injury incidents last year, but the district overall is still falling short of Government targets, latest figures show.

Bradford Council says it has prioritised its Casualty Reduction Programme to deal more directly with killed and serious injury (KSIs) accidents on the roads.

South and West Bradford, along with Keighley, saw a drop in KSIs last year compared with 2004, but Bradford North saw a 20 per cent increase.

Meanwhile, Shipley saw a 9.5 per cent increase, although the figure of 42 in 2005 was below target. Tough Government targets call for a 40 per cent cut in all KSI incidents and a 50 per cent drop in such accidents involving children by 2010.

The district met national targets on KSIs involving pedestrians and children.

The West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan (LTP), as well as backing national targets, is calling for a 50 per cent cut in KSI incidents involving pedestrians and a 40 per cent cut in such incidents involving cyclists.

Simon D'Vali, principal engineer for highways in Shipley, said that while the total of 248 KSIs in 2005 was the lowest since the district's formation in 1974, the numbers were still greater than needed to meet LTP objectives.

He said incidents with children and pedestrians were reducing more quickly - partly a reflection of work done through area committees to make residential roads safer, and work on safer routes to schools.

Mr D'Vali said: "In 2005 the district had met its target reduction for 2010 for KSIs to children and had achieved the milestone target reduction figure for 2005 for KSIs to pedestrians."

He branded 2006 "a year of consolidation" following last year's drop in injuries - the largest since 1983 when seat belt legislation came in.

"Provisional figures to November 18, 2006 suggest in general we are maintaining the low figures of last year.

"Road deaths are similar, killed and serious injury together are likely to be marginally down on last year, pedestrian, pedal cycle and car driver/passenger are similar to last year."

He added: "Of concern are the injuries to children which, although low and on line to meet our target reductions for 2010, have seen a slight increase from 2005; and the crashes that have involved young or inexperienced drivers.

"We are investigating both issues and will be looking in detail at the area committee figures when the full year figures are available."

He said Shipley currently had three sites of concern:

The A657 Commercial Street/Briggate junction with Otley Road where there were 32 injury accidents, including one pedestrian accident, between 2001 and 2005. The site is being investigated as part of the Airedale Masterplan.

The B6269 Cottingley Cliffe Road junction with High Bank Lane and Stoney Ridge Road where there have been 23 injury accidents from 2001 to 2005. This junction is part of the Shipley Casualty Reduction Programme.

The A650 Bingley Road junction with Saltaire Road, where there have been 20 injury accidents from 2001 to 2005.

e-mail: jonathan.walton

@bradford.newsquest.co.uk