In 2021,the most recent figures available,858 people were killed or seriously injured in collisions on Greater Manchester’s roads.
Now the region is formulating ambitious plans to reduce the number of deaths or serious injuries caused on the city-region’s roads, and in turn make it a safer, healthier and more sustainable place for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and motorists.
Greater Manchester’s Vision Zero strategy has the potential to prevent up to 3,800 deaths and serious injuries on the region’s roads by 2040
In Greater Manchester there were 28 pedestrians killed and 217 serious injuries as a result of road collisions in 2021. Meanwhile, there were five cyclist fatalities and 129 serious cyclist casualties in the same period, plus 10 motorcyclist deaths and 106 serious casualties.
In addition, there were 29 fatalities amongst car occupants (which includes drivers and passengers of private vehicles, taxis and minibuses) along with 305 casualties suffering serious injuries.
Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Dame Sarah Storey will be the driving force behind the scheme and announcing the first steps towards the region with reaching the vision and presenting a coherent plan ready for the public by the autumn of this year.
The colisions data, she told us, show that eighty nine per cent were caused by human error.”We have a huge potential to eradicate these accidents” she said.
It is not just around human behavior but also environmental conditions surrounding how we build our streets.
This is not around stopping the use of vehicls, she emphassised but people often don’t have a choice in how they travel.She wants people to have a choice as to whether they get in their vehicles or use public transport,walk or cycle.Safety she said is the number one concern of the people of Greater Manchester when they access transport, whether that be their own vehicle,using public transport or walking and cycling.People she adds, should be provided with a safe space in which to travel
The concept that the region seeks to follow comes out of Scandinavia back in the 1990’s, it has since been adopted in the North West in Blackpool and the Liverpool City Region as well as South Yorkshire and London where there has been significamt change
Safer streets, safer vehicles, safer junctions, safer speeds will all be looked at in this review.
Pavement parking, to which Parliament is currently debating, and already banned in London,will be part of the review
Road danger reduction experts, Agilysis, has been commissioned to develop the strategy in the coming months As part of this work Agilysis will identify and engage with key stakeholders, including Greater Manchester Police and other emergency services,
with a view to consulting with members of the public next year.
Public Transport says Greater Manchester’s Transport Commissioner Vernon Everitt has up to now not provided the region with the necessary infrastucture to give a viable alternative to in many cases car use but now he told us that with the Bee Network, the region is on the cusp of a giving people a viable alternative to using the car
However a future congestion charge on vehicles is not on the agenda Everitt told us. The emphisis will be on improving public transport
