Agenda item

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Policy and Resources, which gave detail of road traffic collision and casualty numbers within the Borough in the year 2012 and recommended a continuance of road traffic collision reduction work.

            The Board was advised that Appendix A to the report set out full details of the numbers of traffic collisions and casualties in the year 2012 and compared these figures with those from previous years. These results were mixed, with large reductions in the numbers of people being slightly injured but with the overall numbers of those killed/seriously injured (KSI) remaining the same as 2011. The report also gave details of casualty trends locally against national figures and highlighted concerns regarding the resources available to continue road safety work in the future.

            In summary during 2012:

·         there were 278 road traffic collisions involving personal injury in Halton, this being the lowest number in over 20 years and the same as in 2011. These incidents produced 377 casualties;

·         36 of the casualties were classed as serious and there were four deaths, giving a total of 40 killed or seriously injured (KSI), the same as in 2011, which was the lowest in over 20 years;

·         the child serious injury (CKSI) total of 10 was three more than in 2011, but there were no child fatalities in 2012 and this number was in line with the trend for more CKSI casualties over the past four years; and

·         the number of people of all ages being slightly (SLI) injured fell from 382 in 2011 to 337.

            Members were advised that since April 2011, Halton had suffered the loss of annual Government funded capital and revenue Road Safety grants £75k and £396k respectively. This had resulted in a halving of the number of Road Safety Officers in Halton and loss of funding for a wide range of projects and initiatives. The cuts had also meant Halton no longer provided a financial contribution to the local safety camera partnership. Halton’s 2012 casualty figures were not universal good news, and the fear remained that these cuts would have an impact on our ability to continue achieving year on year reductions, despite the best efforts to maximise resources through running initiatives jointly with Warrington Borough Council and other partner organisations. Locally, Halton was falling behind KSI reduction rates being achieved nationally.

            In addition, since the loss of the Road Safety grant in 2011, Halton had not contributed financially to the Cheshire Road Safety Group, but continued to participate in joint safety initiatives locally as resources permitted. In not contributing financially to the partnership there was a strong possibility that camera enforcement in the borough would be adversely affected. Discussions were ongoing as to how Halton could find the resources to contribute financially and the implications if resources could not be made available.

            RESOLVED: That

1.    the overall progress made on casualty reduction in Halton be noted and welcomed;

2.    the current programme of road safety collision reduction schemes and road safety education, training and publicity be endorsed; and

3.    concerns with regard to the achievement of further casualty prevention, as a result of resource reductions, be noted.