There are major challenges to road safety planning because of lack of funding and inadequate data, according to transport and highways solutions provider, VivaCity.

The company surveyed 200 councils and found that 63% of them said lack of funding was a problem, while 45% said there was a lack of data available to them when there was a need to measure the success of road safety schemes and other infrastructure improvements.

As part of the survey, local authorities were also asked to rank motor vehicles, buses, cyclists, pedestrians and e-scooters based on their priorities for road safety.

This showed that 6% said cyclists were their top priority, while more than half (55%) put pedestrians top of their ranking.

VivaCity CEO Mark Nicholson said: “These findings highlight critical gaps in road safety prioritisation and resource allocation. Focusing on the safety of all types of vulnerable road users including cyclists and pedestrians is key to boosting active travel. There is an urgent need for local authorities to reevaluate their existing data to ensure that they have access to accurate analysis on the success of road safety schemes so that we can create safer and more sustainable towns and cities.”

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