Road safety issues require bold action

ALISON Hernandez, Devon and Cornwall’s police commissioner, wrote an interesting article on June 1. Police funding is indeed important to keep our communities safe.

One area of concern for me is safety on our roads, which requires a multi-agency approach and bold action.

The issue was highlighted to me when I was made aware of several incidents involving children cycling to school at one roundabout in a residential area in Exeter.

On June 2, Philip Bowen’s opinion piece called for new technical solutions to solve the climate crisis. The bike is one solution that already exists today and the pandemic showed us that more people are prepared to use active transport if it is safe.

Almost 70% of journeys are less than five miles and the potential for increased adoption of active transport in urban areas is massive.

Alison Hernadez is committed to the VisionZero initiative that aims to eliminate road deaths. Local residents and members of the Exeter Cycling Campaign met with Alison to share how Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are one way to make our communities safer and to give young people more independence.

As well as reducing injuries by one third, Alison was delighted to hear that studies have shown this also reduces street crime, with a particular emphasis on violence and sexual offences. Traffic reduction also improves crossing safety for elderly citizens.

Because VisionZero requires a multi-agency approach, it can be hard to coordinate the funding to achieve real change.

I hope that Alison Hernadez can provide the bold leadership required to enable safe walking, scooting and cycling for all ages.

Low traffic neighbourhoods are a proven low-cost change that benefit both our own health and safety and that of the planet.

Bridie Walton Exeter, Devon