Funding sought for two council officers needed to deliver a road safety programme across Warwickshire

The SAFER (sustainable and active focussing on environment and road safety) project aims to promote and support road safety and active travel activities and schools would be encouraged to take part.

Councillors at this week’s [WED] Warwickshire County Council communities overview and scrutiny committee, councillors agreed to put forward the funding request for £147,000 to cover the next two years to next month’s cabinet meeting.

Cllr Jenny Fradgeley (Lib Dem, Stratford West) outlined the requirements on behalf of a task and finish group set up to look at road safety around schools.

She said: “This was about climate change, green travel and making sure that children had the skills to cycle and to walk safely with the county providing the infrastructure if necessary.”

A report produced by the group revealed that briefing sessions for the county’s five districts and boroughs were arranged after it became clear that members were unaware that the road safety teams even existed.

The report added: “The SAFER project will encourage cycling and walking and aim to change public attitudes to this which will reduce the use of cars on school runs and benefit the air quality in Warwickshire.

“As part of the task to educate safe cycling to school, bicycle training will be carried out with the ‘Bikeability’ scheme which will promote safe travel to school which will promote safer green travel.”

Cllr Keith Kondakor (Green, Weddington) said it was time to tackle some of the issues near to schools.

He said: “The area around school gates should be a safe place and quite often it really isn’t. So it will be really good to get two officers to work on this and I would ask that these officers are allowed to look at speed limits because so many of our schools are in 30 [mph] limits.

“We just need to calm down the areas around these schools because it is so unbelievably aggressive sometimes with people wanting those places right by the schools.”

And Cllr John Holland (Lib Dem, Warwick West) also supported the recommendation adding: “Understanding that parents or grandparents driving children to and from school is the problem and creating an environment where that’s seen as anti-social behaviour is the answer to this.

“Of course I understand that there are some people who have no choice in this but I think there is still a lot more that could be done and road safety education directed at parents and grandparents is absolutely the way forward.”