High-risk roads receive funding boost

The Department for Transport (DfT) has earmarked £38.3 million to improve the safety of 17 of the most high-risk roads in England.

The cash, part of the Safer Roads Fund, comes on top of the £147.5m already invested to deliver life-saving improvements on 82 high risk roads across England.

Transport secretary, Mark Harper, said: “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe.

“As part of the Government’s plan to improve roads across the country, we’re providing an extra £38m so that local councils in England have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while reducing congestion and helping to grow the economy.”

According to the Road Safety Foundation, it is estimated that all tranches of the Safer Road Fund will save nearly 2,600 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years.

This round of funding is expected to save 385 lives over the next 20 years, as well as reduce congestion, improve journey times and lower emissions.

Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the foundation, said: “The Safer Roads Fund is a transformational initiative for road safety and for the local authorities receiving funds.

“It makes it possible for road safety teams across the country to proactively address risk of death and serious injury for all road users on these routes.”

She continued: “Systematic changes have already had a big impact on road death and serious injury, for example seatbelts and airbags protect lives when crashes happen. 

“In the same way we can design roads so that when crashes happen people can walk away, by clearing or protecting roadsides, putting in cross hatching to add space between vehicles, providing safer junctions like roundabouts or adding signalisation and/or turning pockets, and including facilities for walking and cycling.”

Improvements from the latest round of funding will include designing new junctions and roundabouts; improving signage and road markings; new road surfacing and landscape management; and improved pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Today’s announcement means another 120 miles of safer road improvements will be delivered to the benefit of users.

“Such incremental improvements are key to achieving our collective aim for a safer road network as a whole.”

The 17 roads receiving funding from the Safer Roads Fund

A579, Bolton Council: £1.425m

A676, Bolton Council: £1.025m

A432, Bristol Council: £2.275m

A361, Devon County Council: £5.040m

A690, Durham County Council: £2.940m

A19, Doncaster City Council: £2.960m

A19, North Yorkshire County Council: £2.960m

A113, Essex County Council: £3.600m

A6, Lancashire County Council: £4.540m

A6, North Northamptonshire County Council: £2.200m

A60, Nottingham City Council: £2.225m

A6200, Nottingham City Council: £0.600m

A420, Oxfordshire County Council: £2.225m

A5191, Shropshire Council: £0.650m

A2101, East Sussex County Council: £0.875m

A583, Lancashire County Council: £1.497180m

A41, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council: £1.265m