Schoolchildren were among crowds of people to walk a collective173 miles for road safety awareness as Greater Manchester moved a step closer to realising its ambitions to end all road traffic fatalities and life-changing injuries.
More than 150 people took part in the ‘community mile’ at Heaton Park today (Thursday 16th May) as part of the RoadPeace Challenge 2024, an annual awareness-raising and fundraising week of action during Global Road Safety Week.
The event was also used as a call to action to people in Greater Manchester to help shape the region’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate all deaths and life-changing injuries on local roads by 2040, by taking part in an online survey.
Around 120 Year 5 and 6 pupils from the E-ACT Blackley Academy were joined on the walk by bereaved families and representatives from the Greater Manchester Safer Roads Partnership, including Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey and Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Each of the participants walked at least a mile in memory of the 173 people killed as a result of fatal road traffic collisions in the north west of England in 2022. As part of Road Safety Week, pupils at E-ACT Blackley Academy also took part in road safety activities.
Sarah White, Deputy Head Teacher at E-ACT Blackley Academy, said: “The Vision Zero Action Plan launch is an important event for us to be involved in.
“Some families at our academy have unfortunately experienced life-changing events due to Manchester’s roads. Our school is located on a particularly high-risk road where serious collisions and tragedies have occurred over the years.
“It is important to us that drivers understand their responsibilities on Manchester roads and outside our school, and that our pupils recognise the risks posed. We need to all work together to keep each other safe.
