Councils launch ‘a new approach’ to road safety in Ipswich

Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council have launched the ‘Ipswich Child Casualty Reduction Strategy’ - a new approach to road safety in Ipswich.

Officers from the two authorities are working together to achieve a safer environment for the town’s children. The project draws together road safety specialists in traffic education, training and publicity, to work alongside engineers, police officers, health practitioners and teachers. The project, which will run initially for two years, has just one aim - to improve child road safety in Ipswich.

"The Ipswich Child Casualty Reduction Strategy encourages collective responsibility for the safety of children," says Bryony Rudkin, leader of Suffolk County Council. "The project will make a significant contribution to our aim of meeting the Government’s 2010 accident reduction targets, which we hope to achieve by 2005."

The involvement of schools is seen as crucial to the success of the project and the new Junior Road Safety Officer (JRSO) scheme is designed to encourage children to take more responsibility for their own safety. Every school in Ipswich will be asked to nominate two children to act as JRSOs to work with road safety officers and promote traffic education.

An integral part of the project is to increase the number of children making journeys to school by bus, walking or cycling and the project management team will focus on creating safe routes for Ipswich children. A fund of £300,000 has been set aside to establish safer routes and manage congestion problems outside school entrances.

But improving safety for children through working with schools is only part of the project. The County Council has recently established a training team dedicated to improving driving standards. This team approaches local businesses and offers a variety of services to staff who drive. The team will be drawing special attention to the Ipswich Child Casualty Reduction Strategy project and motorists on school routes will be asked to drive with particular care or to try to find a different route at times when children are on the move.

"Both Councils are leading the way but in the end it is down to individual road users to act on the opportunities offered to make their journeys safer," says Peter Gardiner, leader of Ipswich Borough Council. "It is important that Ipswich is seen as a place where the safety of children on our roads is given the highest priority."

A local publicity campaign will highlight the Ipswich Child Casualty Reduction Strategy and encourage drivers to be aware of vulnerable road users.

For further information please contact Mike Motteram, mike.motteram@et.suffolkcc.gov.uk