Leeds council unveil new safe roads vision as figures reveal crash death stats

Council members and partners came together yesterday to launch the Leeds Safe Roads Vision Zero 2040 strategy. The event in partnership with the Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) saw speakers from key organisations who offered input into the new Leeds Safe Roads Vision Zero 2040 Strategy.

Developed by the Leeds Safe Roads Partnership, the Leeds Safe Roads Vision Zero 2040 Strategy aims to eliminate road death and serious injury using a ‘Safe System’ approach that considers all factors that could help to prevent fatal and serious road crashes.

Between 2017 and 2021, road crashes in Leeds killed 93 people and seriously injured another 1,562 (1,655 in total). Behind each statistic, there is a personal tragedy, someone whose health has been impacted or life cut short, families and loved ones traumatised and bereaved and other impacts on those who have witnessed and/or been involved in the incident, particularly among the emergency services.

Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate, Councillor Helen Hayden chaired the event, which was organised by the Influencing Travel Behaviour team of Leeds City Council, with closing remarks from the West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor, Alison Lowe OBE.Coun Hayden said: “We have a bold ambition; that by 2040 no one will be killed or suffer serious injuries on our roads. We want Leeds to be a city where you don’t need a car to get around and where people feel safe to choose to walk, scoot, wheel, and cycle for their health and for the environment.

“Vision Zero is our strategy to cut traffic risk so that no one is killed or seriously injured using the roads. The Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy changed our approach to addressing road danger and recognised that road danger prevents more people from choosing to walk and cycle to their destination.

“Making our roads safer will make cycling and walking more attractive, which both bring huge benefits to people’s wellbeing as well as our environment.”

Alison Lowe OBE, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) in West Yorkshire said:

“We need to do something different and Vision Zero is the answer. Ambitious as it may sound, we are going to throw everything at this to make it work. Road safety is a priority issue for our communities, and it has been for a long time.

“People should not face death or injury of any kind on our roads and that is what we’re working towards. A partnership approach, embedded in Leeds and in every district in West Yorkshire, will help us achieve this."

The event showcased short presentations about the new Leeds Safe Roads Vision Zero 2040 Strategy, Project EDWARD and from keynote speakers around the theme of technology.

Topics included the Vision Zero Journey, Vision Zero from a victim’s point of view, technology to capture the illegal use of mobile phones, the benefits of Intelligent Speed adaption in buses, the use of mobile tyre scanning technology and how technology can help to prevent suicide on the Strategic Road Network.