Green Party Councillors have condemned the Lib Dem redistribution of road safety funds equally amongst the separate Community Assemblies. They point out that accident statistics over the last 5 years show up to 20 times more injuries from accidents in the middle of Sheffield compared to the outskirts.
The Greens have praised the work of the South Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership in reducing road accidents and pointed out that the SYRSP uses road accident data to prioritise new work on a ‘Worst First’ basis.
Cllr Bernard Little said, “We support local decision making, but splitting the Highways budget in this way is clearly a mistake. Common sense says there are fewer traffic problems in rural areas, and accident numbers show this. For example, Broomhill Ward has suffered 21 deaths and serious injuries in the last 5 years compared to just 4 in Dore and Totley”.
Both will however receive an equal share of funds removed by the Lib Dems from the city-wide pots for pedestrian, child safety and other improvements.
Cllr Little added, “For Community Assemblies to work they must be seen as not only equal but also fair. The Liberal Democrats are putting political ideology ahead of people’s safety and that is very wrong.”
MOTION
That this council:
a. Welcomes the news that no child pedestrians have died as the result of accidents on the city’s roads during 2009.
b. Congratulates the South Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership on its work to reduce injury accidents resulting in a general reduction in casualties over recent years but realises there is plenty more work to be done.
c. Notes the Partnerships use of road accident data to prioritise schemes on a ‘Worst First’ basis.
d. Notes the statement by Robert Gifford, the Chief Executive of the cross-party Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety that ‘we will need to focus far more on effective delivery of road safety, making better use of the data and resources we have at our disposal’
e. Is shocked by the current administrations decision to reallocate road safety funds equally across the Community Assembly areas.
f. Believes for Community Assemblies to work they must be seen as not only equal but also fair.
g. Resolves to be open and honest about the way funds are being allocated in relation to need.
h. Resolves to keep Community Assembly members fully aware of accident statistics during decision making on the highways budget.