Leeds City Council is proposing a fundamental change in its approach to tackling road hazards.

A public consultation started yesterday (Monday February 28) for people who visit, live and work in Leeds to shape the proposals.

The Leeds Safer Roads Vision Zero 2040 draft strategy sets out an ambitious plan to transform road safety.

Vision Zero is a revolutionary approach to reducing road hazards, based on the ethical position that no one should die or suffer serious injury while walking, cycling, riding or driving on the roads.

The strategy, developed by the Leeds Safer Roads Partnership, is made up of five ‘safety system pillars’ to comprehensively tackle road hazards. These are:

Safe Behaviors and People – encourage behaviors that contribute to ensuring the safety of all road users, with an emphasis on preventing speeding, seat-belt violations, drink-driving and distraction.

Safety speeds – prevent people from driving at illegal, dangerous and inappropriate speeds through street design, targeted enforcement, speed limit reviews and education campaigns.

Safe roads – design streets that put the needs of people above those of vehicles. This means creating safer streets for active travel, such as walking and cycling, and reducing the likelihood and severity of collisions.

Safe vehicles – raise awareness of road vehicle liability, crack down on violations and examine how technology and design features can help prevent accidents.

Learning and care after a collision – raise awareness of support services, improve understanding of road hazards and advocate for justice for road accident victims.

The safe system model considers the broader road safety context and advocates for systemic change. It requires everyone to play their part. While all road users will be encouraged to behave in a safe and legal manner, the responsibility will also fall on those who plan and manage the transport system.

“This new strategy will transform our approach to road safety. We must remember that behind every statistic, a person is killed or seriously injured on our roads. Someone’s life has been cut short, leaving behind a devastated family, or their health has been impaired.

“Our vision is that by 2040 no one will be killed or seriously injured on Leeds’ roads. The strategy sets out our plan to achieve this and make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists. I am very proud that Leeds is the first city in West Yorkshire to adopt the ‘Vision Zero’ approach.”

Commitments of the new strategy include data-driven enforcement, working with communities and partners, and promoting a culture of road safety. Existing initiatives such as Operation SPARC, Operation SNAP, speed enforcement activities and targeted road safety training will be further developed.

The strategy reflects the Highway Code’s hierarchy of road users, which gives priority to pedestrians and cyclists, and states that road users who can cause the most harm to others have a greater responsibility to protect themselves. behave safely.

Significant progress has been made in reducing accidents on Leeds roads since 2000, but in recent years the decline has leveled off.

Between 2016 and 2020, crashes on Leeds roads killed 83 people and seriously injured 1,498 people. A further 8,317 people suffered minor injuries, bringing the total number of injuries and fatalities to 9,898. Road crashes usually involve motor vehicles, but most of those killed or seriously injured were walking, cycling or were driving a motorcycle.

West Yorkshire Police Chief Superintendent Ed Chesters said:

“Despite significant improvement in recent years, people are still dying or suffering serious injuries on Leeds roads. This is why safer roads are a priority of the Policing and Crime Plan, and we are committed to working with Leeds City Council to reduce road danger.

“We welcome the adoption of the Vision Zero strategy in Leeds, which represents a real opportunity to make significant changes to the way we work together to make roads safer for all. The strategy will help us reduce the risk of collisions, increase community confidence and promote safer, more active and more sustainable travel. »

Two public consultation events are taking place for people to ask questions and learn more:

Walk-in event: Tuesday, March 22, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Leeds Kirkgate Market, Vicar Lane, LS2 7HY.

Online webinar: Friday March 25, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

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