Southampton City Council, working with its contractors Balfour Beatty Living Places and Chapter 8 TM to reinforce a zero tolerance message around roadworker abuse.
It is another key milestone for the Safer Highways led #stampitout campaign, Southampton City Council alongside its delivery partners Balfour Beatty Living Places and Chapter 8 TM have united against roadworker abuse by utilising digital signage to convey their message to the road-using public.
The first digital sign which is already on display in the city marks the start of a concerted effort by both the council and its contractors to convey its zero tolerance approach.
Paid for by traffic management contractor Chapter 8 and in conjunction with principal contractor Balfour Beatty Living Places the sign is the first of two, with the second paid for by the council itself.
As the first local authority to adopt the Jarvis reporting app as part of a nationwide rollout, Southampton are now setting the standard for other local authorities to follow, with the implementation of signage at every worksite also imminent.
Speaking about the unveiling of the digital sign, Kevin Robinson, Project Lead for the Stamp it Out campaign praised the approach; he said,
“Roadworker abuse is something which has long been a blight on our industry, with those we put to work seeing this as just a part of the job.
“This should not be the case and this is why I am proud to see our industry coming together and Balfour Beatty taking the lead to say that enough is enough.
“You wouldn’t abuse a teacher or a doctor or nurse yet it seems to be the accepted norm that our roadworkers suffer abhorrent abuse on a daily basis.
“This cannot continue and the time has come to make a change in the attitudes to those who tirelessly work to keep our network flowing on a daily basis.”
The Stamp it Out reporting app has been developed by Notify Technology and the aspiration is that by the end of 2023 all contractors across both the high and low speed network will be able to report instances of abuse with the intention of pushing the government to action.
