The Transport Committee will tomorrow hear from a five-strong panel of expert witnesses as it continues its inquiry into the government’s Road Safety Strategy.
The second session in the inquiry will focus on the role of infrastructure in improving road safety, including the commitments made in the strategy.
It is also set to cover wider policy issues relating to road design, rural roads, speed management, how road users interact with infrastructure and how infrastructure improvements could be delivered in practice.
The Road Safety Strategy sets out targets including a 65% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured by 2035. At the “heart” of the strategy is the Safe System, an evidence-based approach to road safety designed in Sweden in in 1980s.
Witnesses will be quizzed on the ambitions and targets of the Road Safety Strategy and whether there is enough investment behind it.
They may be asked what the Safe System approach could look like here in practice and how Government should be guided by its implementation elsewhere.
MPs could also explore the significance of road maintenance in reducing deaths and serious injuries, the distinct challenges of rural roads and whether the Government’s strategy has adequate measures to deal with the risks that cyclists face.
The panel of expert witnesses are:
- Dan Campsall, Chairman, Agilysis
- Zak Viney, Campaigns & Public Affairs Coordinator, Living Streets
- Sarah Whitebread, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Cycling UK
- Kate Carpenter, vice-president of the Chartered Institution of Highways (CIHT)
- Martin Wiltshire, Assistant Manager, Safer Roads & Parking, Hampshire County Council
The session will be broadcast live from 09:15 tomorrow, 24 June, and is available to watch HERE.
(Picture: Stoyan Haytov)
