Funding for new road safety schemes announced
For those of you following the story about the announcement from the Department for Transport of £38m new funding for safer roads across England, here is some more information about the proposed schemes in Lancashire.
Please note we are currently in the pre-publicity period before the May local elections so are unable to supply comments from our councillors.
A6 from M6 J33 at Hampson Green to Broughton
212 injury-related collisions were recorded on the A6 in the last 5-year period, 39 resulted in serious injuries and 1 proved fatal. Police reports into the cause of these collisions suggest that reduced vehicle speeds may have helped to prevent many of them. 72 of these collisions involved vulnerable road users (cyclists and pedestrians).
A £4.54m scheme to improve active travel facilities and reduce the risk of people being injured in collisions aims to:
- Boost opportunities for active travel by improving pedestrian and cycle facilities with new crossing facilities, mandatory cycle lanes and shared-use paths.
- Encourage people to use the facilities provided to cross the road safely by upgrading existing traffic signals to include crossing facilities, adding refuge islands where appropriate, and introducing toucan crossing facilities.
- Encourage cycling by improving links between locations along the A6, and along the existing well used National Cycle Network 6 route by providing mandatory cycle lanes and shared use facilities.
- Reduce the risk and severity of collisions by reducing the speed limit along part of the route, with the upgrade and introduction of refuge crossing islands which will provide safer crossing points and act as traffic calming along relevant sections.
A583 from M55 junction 4 at Peel Hill to its junction with the newly built Preston Western Distributor road outside Clifton to the west of Preston.
141 injury related collisions were recorded on the A583 in the last 6 year period, 24 of which resulted in serious injuries. Analysis suggests that speed enforcement may have helped to prevent several of the collisions. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) accounted for 34 of the injury related collisions (24%).
A £1.49m scheme to improve active travel facilities and reduce the risk of people being injured in collisions aims to:
- Boost opportunities for active travel by improving pedestrian and cycle facilities with new crossing facilities, mandatory cycle lanes and shared-use paths.
- Reduce the risk and severity of collisions by reducing the speed limit along a section of the route, from 50mph to 40mph. Currently, all of the route has a speed limit of 50mph, however a lower speed limit where housing developments have been built will encourage walking and cycling.
- Reduce the risk and severity of collisions by introducing enforcement measures in partnership with Lancashire Constabulary aimed at reducing speeds and complementing existing measures along this route.
- Encourage cycling by improving cycling infrastructure which links locations along the A583, and into existing well used National Cycle Network routes.
- Improve safety for pedestrians and encourage walking, by providing improved pedestrian facilities, including refuge islands and pedestrian crossings. This includes the upgrade of current pedestrian facilities to a toucan crossing benefiting both cyclists and pedestrians.