Road Safety in South Yorkshire: A Better Way “Worst First”

Road Safety in South Yorkshire: A Better Way

“Worst First”

Problem Identification

• Over the past 5 years targets have been met for slights and child KSIs but not for overall KSIs

• Resulted in criticism and investigation by the DfT and contributed to a poorer score

• A move to an evidence based approach is needed focusing on how performance can be improved in terms of reducing overall KSIs, irrespective of the quantum of resources in order to meet targets and satisfy DfT

• At the same time still need to achieve other road safety objectives

Prioritisation – Red Amber Green Rating of ‘A’ Roads

• In 2005 47% of fatal and 39% of KSI collisions in South Yorkshire took place on ‘A’ roads, yet these comprise just 11.5% of the network

• Evidence suggests it is prudent to concentrate efforts on reducing KSI collisions on ‘A’ roads, in the first instance

• Analysis of KSI collisions on ‘A’ roads undertaken to produce a ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’ rating for each section of ‘A’ road depending on the KSI collision rate when compared to the ‘average’ for ‘A’ roads (see next slide)

• From this 84 sections of road in South Yorkshire have been given a red rating as a result of their greater incidence of KSI collisions than the county average for ‘A’ roads, i.e. WORST FIRST

Red Routes in South YorkshireRED = Routes above the County average with no casualty reduction works planned

AMBER = Routes that have had / will have works before year 3 of LTP2

GREEN = Routes below County average

Interventions

• On sections of road identified as worst first interventions will

depend on a detailed evaluation of the causes of collisions• Designed to influence road user behaviour and attitude and

reduce the risk of road user error• Interventions will be a mix of the 3 E’s – Education, Enforcement,

Engineering• Problems will be more treatable by using a combination of these

options which rarely happens currently• Also, Safety Camera Partnership more closely integrated with

these road safety activities

Costs

• Annual LTP road safety allocation is likely to be £3.5 million

• It is estimated that around £1 million per year will be required to treat the sections of ‘A’ road given a red rating

• Allocated on the basis of need, i.e., worst red routes first irrespective of district (the following slide shows graphically that the priorities in each district will not be the same as for SY as a whole)

• Currently, and coincidentally, around £1 million is spent in SY each year on treating KSIs as part of each districts Local Safety Scheme programme

• Remaining £2.5 million to be used for other casualty reduction initiatives and danger reduction schemes that will complement work being undertaken using Neighbourhood Renewal Funding in pursuance of other targets

• This could be distributed on the basis of the population of the districts, although the principle of ‘worst first’ could also be applied to this allocation

• From 2007/08 management of the Safety Camera Partnership devolves to the LTP

• Additional to the £3.5 million, from 2007/08 £2.55 million per annum from DfT earmarked to run the SCP

District and SY Priorities

South Yorkshire

Nominal treatment of 20 schemes in South Yorkshire for a total of £1m divided on the basis of need ie 'worst first' saving 187 KSI casualties over 3 years ie value added of a

further 55 KSIs saved by 2010

Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield

Nominal treatment of 5 schemes in each of the districts for a total of £1m divided up by population saving 132 KSI casualties over 3 years

(Illustrative only)

Trends and Targets

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Actual data 845 696 715 746 742 731 725 733 686 715 740 748 705 658

Old Target 732 703 673 644 615 586 556 527 498 468 439

New Target 727 703 679 654 630 606 582

Future Prediction

With Exemplification 'ON'

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Trends and Targets

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Actual data 845 696 715 746 742 731 725 733 686 715 740 748 705 658

Old Target 732 703 673 644 615 586 556 527 498 468 439

New Target 727 703 679 654 630 606 582

Future Prediction 658 645 632 619 607 595

With Exemplification 'ON'

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Trends and Targets

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Actual data 845 696 715 746 742 731 725 733 686 715 740 748 705 658

Old Target 732 703 673 644 615 586 556 527 498 468 439

New Target 727 703 679 654 630 606 582

Future Prediction 658 645 632 619 607 595

With Exemplification 'ON' 658 645 632 582 557 540

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Target

• Target in LTP2 is to reduce KSI casualties in SY from 727 to 582 by 2010, a reduction of 145

• It is estimated that focussing on ‘worst first’ in SY by treating red routes will reduce KSI casualties by 120

• An average of 28 sections of road need to be treated in each of years 3, 4 and 5 of LTP2 to achieve this reduction (3 year period)

• On completion, a ‘rebaselining’ exercise is needed, to recalculate the average and the next set of red/amber/green routes to be treated on a worst first basis (this links well with road safety best practice of studying ‘effect’ over at least a 3 year period)

Links

• Need to take account of other initiatives planned for ‘red routes’ eg accessibility, QBCs

• Will enable road safety schemes to be co-ordinated with and to complement maintenance schemes, bus infrastructure improvements, urban regeneration, etc

• Need to ensure that the community driven agenda is not diluted. Retaining significant funding for local determination means that danger reduction schemes will address ‘Quality of Life’ and Community Planning agendas and complement work being undertaken using Neighbourhood Renewal Funding

• Danger reduction schemes and other casualty reduction initiatives using NRF and the £2.5 million per annum which will remain to be split pro rata population

Implications of Worst First

• Allocation of some funding on basis of need, ie worst first, will lead to one or more of the districts receiving more funding than at present and hence others receiving less

• Will the districts that receive increased funding have the resources to deliver their part of the programme both in terms of qualified staff and getting the work done on the ground?

• Could this lead to staff and the construction workforce from one district working in another area?

• Will this be acceptable/permitted/lawful?

Red Routes in South YorkshireRED = Routes above the County average with no casualty reduction works planned

AMBER = Routes that have had / will have works before year 3 of LTP2

GREEN = Routes below County average