Glasgow City Council has released its road safety plan, which aims to ensure there are no fatalities or serious injuries on the city’s road by 2030.
Road safety in the Scottish city has steadily improved over the past few years, but in 2019 there were still nine people killed and 160 were seriously injured as a consequence of road traffic collisions.
Additionally, over 750 people sustained minor injuries in road incidents in 2019, with ‘failed to look’ by both drivers, riders or pedestrians as the most common cause for collisions.
With human error a major factor in serious incidents, the Vision Zero plan will be based upon creating a ‘safe system’ for the city’s road network, designed to minimise the likelihood of collisions occurring. It will also work to reduce the consequences of such events when they do happen.
A range of measures including improved road safety engineering, enforcement and introducing safety cameras at key locations will be introduced. There will also be initiatives that improve road safety around city schools, education projects, cycle training schemes and road safety campaigns.
Anna Richardson, city convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, believes that safer streets must go hand-in-hand with a shift to more people using sustainable forms of transport. A city wide 20mph speed limit could be introduced, alongside low traffic neighbourhoods.
She said: “Road collisions have an immeasurable impact on those directly involved, but also create a significant financial impact on public services. But concerns about road safety can also deter people from walking, cycling or spending time outdoors.
“To build healthier, more active communities, it is essential that we design streets for people rather than traffic. Slowing vehicle speed opens up opportunities for people to walk and cycle more often, which in turn improves the environment we all live in.
“The car free zones that form part of the School Streets initiative are helping to reduce traffic around school gates and we will continue to make Glasgow increasingly safer for cyclists by extending the growing network of cycle lanes across the city.
“Implementing low traffic neighbourhoods will limit through traffic on residential streets and will help to create safer spaces within communities where people can feel more confident walking, wheeling or cycling.
“No level of death or serious injury is acceptable in our road transport network. Our vision of zero serious or fatal incidents by 2030 is undoubtedly challenging, but achieving this target will make an enormous difference to the well-being of the city.”
