I would like to take this opportunity to thank DE Group for their generous support of the Kensington Chelsea & Hammersmith Boroughs’ Road Safety Community Chart campaign. I would also like to thank you for your valuable assistance in furthering this endeavour. The DE Group’s support of this campaign permits far greater dissemination of this important road safety message than would normally be possible.Eric Davis, Director, UK Road Safety & Local Authority Publicity
Improving road safety is one of the highest transport priorities across the boroughs of London, including the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and the Southwark Council, both of which DE Group are actively involved with.
The boroughs have drawn up a road safety strategy, which presents proposals to help improve road safety and reduce road traffic collisions and casualties. Their plans contain a range of approaches, ranging from engineering improvements to education and training. The boroughs report progress towards implementation of the measures outlined in these plans.
For example, a 2019 road casualty data report from Transport for London (TfL) for the RBKC shows that 113 people were killed or seriously injured (KSI) — 10.3 per cent lower than in 2018, with over 50% of collisions taking place on the borough’s major roads. As for the Borough of Southwark, motorcyclists account for around 20% of fatal or serious injuries, despite representing only around 1% of motor traffic.
Research by TRL shows that driver or rider error is a major factor in collisions, with data revealing high levels of drivers and riders failing to look properly, as well as behavioural failures such as speeding, aggressive driving and poor manoeuvres. The analysis also identifies that the majority of people injured on the borough’s roads live either within the borough itself or neighbouring boroughs. Other factors, such as loading, deliveries and inconsiderate parking also have significant impact on congestion and on the safety of vulnerable road users. With this in mind, DE Group companies are committed to scheduling and coordinating deliveries around sensitive locations such as schools to minimise the risk of incidents.
Collectively, London’s boroughs are working towards meeting road safety targets set by the Mayor of London. Initiatives include educational programmes targeted at local residents, with neighbouring boroughs working together to ensure that programmes reach the correct target audience to make their roads safer.
Continuing a long history of road safety education and publicity campaigns in Great Britain, these registered activities are designed to deliver meaningful positive impacts by proactively maintaining effective engagement with their local communities.
Southwark Council road safety initiatives
Aiming to reduce road casualties, Southwark Council’s road safety team is committed to making local road users as informed as possible about road safety. Through a planned and structured programme for children and adults, the Council road safety team’s objective is to reduce the number of accidents on local roads by changing road users’ attitudes through education.
Schools
Supported by free training from Transport for London, the borough has adopted the ‘TfL STARS‘ accreditation scheme, which enables schools to access a wide range of resources, support and funding streams. More importantly, it allows schools to record issues surrounding travel and safety in the vicinity of their premises. There are now 69 schools with a travel plan, of which 31 have achieved gold status, 6 silver and 32 bronze or engaged within the scheme. You can register on the TfL STARS website.
Supported by DE Group, the cross-borough “Road Safety Community Chart” campaign aims to combat the prevalence of dangerous and inappropriate driver behaviour in the vicinity of schools, which has a major impact upon children’s safety when arriving at or departing from school. The sponsorship programme includes funding and resources for campaign posters, materials and communications, supported by announcements alongside multiple digital and social media campaigns.
Motorcycling
Road safety officers continue to work with the Metropolitan Police on motorcycle campaigns. A mixture of education and enforcement is used to educate motorcyclists on the vital importance of being seen and keeping within the speed limits.
Cycling
Cycling proficiency training takes an active role in schools to encourage safe active travel and to help pupils develop excellent independent travel skills. The council encourages schools to take part in these free schemes.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) — The Lucan
I and my construction team at The Lucan are passionate about road safety, especially as we have the Marlborough Primary School just across the road from our building project. As per our agreement with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, we manage our deliveries around school start and finish times to ensure there are no large vehicles when the children are arriving or leaving. All of our traffic marshals are fully trained in road safety and vehicle movements to ensure the safety of all, and we are always reviewing our processes and procedures with safety in mind.Michael Barnes, Senior Project Manager at The Lucan