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ROAD SAFETY NEWS - WEEK COMMENCING 15 MARCH 2004

Proposed Bill will allow school transport charging
Councils would be permitted to charge for expanded school transport services as part of an initiative to curb the ‘school run’ under a Government Bill published for consultation last week (Surveyor, 11 March).

The Bill would relax the restrictions of 50-year-old school transport legislation in pilot schemes covering up to 20 local education authorities in England and six areas in Wales.

The Department for Education and Skills’ initiative is part of a wider £50m joint action plan announced with the DfT last year to promote alternatives to the car for school travel. But the Bill was greeted with concern and scepticism by parents, bus operators and several local authorities.

Since the 1980s the proportion of children travelling to school by car has doubled to almost 40 per cent for primary and 20 per cent for secondary pupils.
Awake launches new fatigue website
Awake - the sleep and fatigue research organisation - has launched its new website, www.awakeltd.info, which raises awareness of the impact of sleep deprivation and drugs, and offers solutions to combat fatigue-related incidents.

The principles behind Awake’s key messages are based on scientific research with partners such as the world renowned Loughborough Sleep Research Centre (LSRC).

Through its findings, Awake is able to provide Government and industry with a range of services including risk assessment, sleep disorder assessment and treatment, and education and training.

Recent research and case studies are also available on the site, including the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award-winning driver fatigue campaign developed by Awake and LSRC for the Freight Transport Association.
Visitors to the site can also obtain supporting material from the Awake online store and subscribe to Awake’s free regular newsletter to keep abreast of developments in fatigue-related research.

"The new website makes information on this relatively new area of research more accessible," said Dr Paul Jackson, managing director of Awake. "Most people are not aware of the hazardous effect our 24/7 lifestyles have on our ability to remain alert both at work and on the road. The website will become an increasingly important tool to help us deliver this message."
Cycling plan envisages big increase by 2010
The new London Cycling Action Plan is confident that greater provision for cycle safety and other improvements will lead to an 80 per cent increase in cycling in London by 2010 - and a 200 per cent increase by 2020.

"The vision is to make London a city where people of all ages, abilities and cultures have the incentive and confidence to cycle whenever it suits them," the plan claims.

Commenting on the Plan, CTC campaigns and policy manager, Roger Geffen, said: "CTC broadly welcomes the Plan and the breadth of its coverage.

"While the Plan clearly recognises cycling's potential contribution to health, transport, social and environmental objectives, its commitment to fully realise these benefits seems somewhat half-hearted. Too many of the actions have 'subject to available funding' written against them and the central target -to increase cycle use by 80 per cent - falls well short of national policy."

More @ http://www.pacts.org.uk/news/newsframe.htm.
Cheshire unveils major home zone
Work is to start on site this summer on Cheshire’s first home zone - a £500,000 scheme to improve quality of life and tackle rat-running in streets close to Chester’s rail station (Surveyor, 11 March).

The scheme – among the largest of its kind in the northwest – will include almost 500 homes in a 20mph zone. Within this will be a core home zone focused on three key streets where the aim is to reduce traffic speeds to 10mph or less.

The scheme is being funded by section 106 contributions from developers in the area, together with £300,000 from the DfT’s £30m home zones challenge fund - which must be spent by April 2005.

The council hopes that traffic calming in the zone will discourage cut-through commuter traffic and help reduce accidents on the periphery where the residential area meets the main road network.
Transport ministers drop national walking strategy
Transport ministers have dropped plans for a national walking strategy in favour of an ‘action plan’ to be launched next month (Surveyor, 4 March).

Campaigners who have been pushing for a walking strategy for more than six years have been warned that the action plan is the nearest the DfT is likely to come to producing a formal strategy.

"We’ve been told this is the only way we’re likely to get a document on any of the actions we’ve talked about for so many years," said London Walking Forum director John Walker.

LWF - along with the Ramblers Association, Living Streets, Transport 2000, Sustrans and the Cyclists' Touring Club - has been helping the DfT to develop the action plan since December. The final draft will be released for consultation in April.