A joint statement has been published by leaders in the West Midlands, outlining how they plan on making the roads safer for people in the region.
The statement was penned by the Mayor of the West Midlands, Transport for West Midlands, West Midlands Police, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Birmingham City Council, and the Mayor’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, and focuses on the work that is being done to refine the approach to road safety.
Laying out the aims of the region’s leaders, the statement began saying:
“In the West Midlands we are working towards an environment where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads. This is a challenging but imperative goal that can only be achieved through relentless partnership working.”
With road violence in the region leading to needless deaths and serious injuries, the partners have taken the feelings of the communities on board and have been working to look into their current approach and how they can do more to tackle dangerous behaviour.
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street played a key role in this work, chairing a meeting on the 18th July to bring together the partners that would play a crucial role in this project. This meeting saw a number of actions agreed, including:
- West Midlands Police will lead Operation Triton, focusing on relentless enforcement of the rules of the road.
- Efforts to enforce against those who endanger road users will be bolstered through a second team on the West Midlands Police Road Harm Prevention Team.
- Two new crime teams will work round the clock to target the most dangerous drivers.
- A new road safety campaign will be launched by Transport for the West Midlands.
- Birmingham City Council will consult on the reduction of speed limits on the main roads into the city, with a pilot scheme commencing to reprogramme crossings. This will make them more responsive to pedestrians and give them more time to cross.
The statement addressed the work that will be undertaken by all of the partners, saying that:
“Partners are working together to increase the number of average speed cameras across the network to tackle speeding on our most dangerous roads.
“Overall, West Midlands Police will work towards a significant increase in speed enforcement from 2024 in order that compliance with speed limits improves. Birmingham City Council will accelerate their A45 active travel scheme with spades in the ground for the first phase by this winter.
“In September, TfWM will launch a revised Road Safety Strategy with the goal of a 50% reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on our road network by the end of 2030; this is a pathway to our ultimate goal of Vision Zero.
“TfWM’s and Birmingham’s new Road Safety strategies, due this winter, will be aligned to tackle this together.”
Image credit: iStock
