Charity 'horrified' over road safety cuts
Thursday 29 July 2010 Back to Blog
Government reductions in road safety funding could make the roads more hazardous for van leasing customers, it has been suggested.
Road safety charity Brake says it is "horrified" by the 40 per cent cuts made to the road safety grant which is given by the government to local authorities to fund items such a speed cameras, pedestrian crossings and driver re-education programmes.
As a result of this, it was recently announced that the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership is ceasing operations in Oxfordshire, meaning speed cameras in the region will be switched off.
Other local authorities are likely to follow suit, reports suggest.
According to Brake deputy chief executive Julie Townsend, the changes risk reversing progress made in reducing traffic accidents in recent years.
"We are horrified that vital road safety work is grinding to a halt as a result of draconian funding cuts made by the government," she said.
"We have made a huge amount of progress in reducing tragic, needless and costly road deaths and injuries in recent years - progress that is at great risk of being undone."
According to campaign group speedcameras.org, as of 2004, there were 6,000 cameras in place on British roads.