The objective of the Safer roads section of West Yorkshire’s Local Transport Plan 2006-11 is to give people a choice of how they travel and to ensure that choice is safe.
This is done by ensuring that people have the correct skills and facilities to travel safely and are aware of their responsibilities to others, those who use the roads and those who live alongside them.
The foundation of the approach to safer roads is the engagement with and the involvement of local people. This is to ensure that people have a choice in how they travel, and are safe in their chosen form of transport, whether they are walking, cycling, riding, driving or travelling as a passenger.
Recent developments are speed management action plans, driver training initiatives, pedestrian and cycling skills training for children, seat belt wearing and road safety training included in the school's national curriculum.
There are significant developments that increasingly involve neighbourhood policing teams dealing with the anti-social and criminal use of road vehicles.
Read a summary of how West Yorkshire’s Local Transport Plan 2001-6 is delivering safer roads (202kb)
What is safer roads?
Environment and facilities: A safer road is one that has an appropriate environment whether that be as a residential road, a shopping area or a major road between towns. It takes into account the needs of all road users and has the correct facilities for them to be mobile and safe.
Skills to be safe: On a safer road people have the skills to be safe whether as a pedestrian, cyclist, driver passenger or rider. West Yorkshire District Councils teach pedestrian and cycling skills to children - and various agencies teach driving and riding skills.
Responsibility: The responsibility for safety lies with individual people - with family and community groups, with business concerns and with the professional safer roads and enforcement agencies. West Yorkshire Partnerships promote responsibility and empowerment so that local people can influence safer roads issues.
Behaviour: The way people behave is the most important factor in safer roads and the key to promoting healthy travel such as walking and cycling. Responsible behaviour will reduce intimidation, perceived danger on the roads and help to reduce road crashes and injuries.
Safer Roads Partnerships
West Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership is a multi-agency steering group that promotes forward direction and delivery of safer roads issues. It is made up of the five District Councils, WY Police, WY Fire and Rescue, Yorkshire Ambulance, Highways Agency, WY Casualty Reduction (Safety Camera) Partnership and NHS Primary Care.
Each District Council is working to prepare and deliver a safer roads action plan, which encompasses local policing strategies.
Find out more about Safer Roads Partnerships (2367kb pdf)
The Safer Roads Partnership works with government and other national and local agencies to promote West Yorkshire interests and to develop and share best practice. Locally, the Partnership works to develop and strengthen links with people in communities and neighbourhoods.
Find out more about Fire and Rescue National Road Safety Strategy (213kb pdf)
Find out more about the Wakefield District Road Safety Plan (3.22mb pdf)
Useful Links:
For further information follow the web links below:
Visit the DfT website to read the ‘Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer for Everyone’ report
Visit the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership website to find out about safety cameras
Visit the Leeds Council website to find out about road safety in the district
Visit the Kirklees Council website to find out about Driver Training Schemes in the district
Visit the Wakefield Council website to read the district’s Road Safety Plan
