Cumbria Road Safety Partnership (CRSP) aim to reduce serious injury and deaths on the county’s roads by targeting the accident hotspots across the county, formally adopting Vision Zero 2040.
CRSP sees partners from Cumbria Constabulary, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, National Highways, Northwest Ambulance Service, Driver Vehicle Standards Agency, Ministry of Defense Police and BAE Systems come together to identify practical solutions to make the county’s roads safer and reduce Kills and Serious Injuries (KSIs). In 2022, Cumbria Police attended 292 KSI collisions on our road network in which 27 of those were fatal collisions.
The hotspot roads and locations have been identified through looking at the number of KSIs that have happened in these spots over the past five years. These areas will be analysed to understand the cause of the accidents that have occurred. Following this analysis, an appropriate and feasible action will be set in place to create a safer road, therefore reducing KSIs. The hotspots in the county are continuously reviewed and are subject to change depending on seriousness of the KSI figures and how quickly issues with the roads are resolved.
Across the county, the main hotspots that have been identified are:
- Washington Street/Ramsay Brow, Workington
- Front Street, Brampton
- The Crescent, Carlisle
- Carlisle Road Junction, Brampton
- Bridge Lane, Penrith
- A66, Crackenthorpe
- Queens Road/Windermere Road junction, Kendal
- Newby Bridge, A590
Work is already being done to reduce the likelihood of KSIs on these roads. A safety camera van was placed on the A66 at Crackenthorpe between 20th April – 30th April. During this period 106 drivers were caught speeding and one driver was caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
Vision Zero is a multi-national traffic safety initiative which was founded in the late 1990’s based on the philosophy that no one should be killed or seriously injured within the road transport network.
Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (DPFCC), Mike Johnson, said: “Anti-social driving and dangerous driving is constantly highlighted as a public priority to the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
“Therefore, I am really pleased to see agencies coming together to look at the high-risk roads and identify the changes that can be made to reduce deaths and serious accidents on the roads.
“The CRSP meetings will put focus on to these hotspot areas which will be the priority going forward – other aspects of anti-social driving will continue to be dealt with as part of day-to-day business.
“This is the first tactical meeting of the CRSP and I am looking forward to seeing the progress that they make to reduce accidents across the county.
“We can work together to make Cumbria’s roads safer for everyone. Whether they are a pedestrian or a driver, everyone should be able to get home safely.”
Sergeant Jack Stabler said: “Every death on the roads is a tragedy which is why Cumbria Constabulary is committed to embracing the Vision Zero goal and continuing to work to drive down the number of fatal and serious injury collisions on our roads.
“The road safety partnership will be a key to the success of this goal. It gets key agencies which can impact road safety in our county round the same table and working collaboratively for the same goal – to make our roads safer for all.”
Mike Clusker, Group Manager for Prevention at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and Tactical Chair of Cumbria Road Safety Partnership, said:
“Our organisation plays a crucial role in raising awareness of road safety across Cumbria and Cumbria Road Safety Partnership is a great opportunity for us to collaborate and work closely with our partners.
“By utilising our resources, we aim to save lives, prevent accidents and injuries, and reduce the number of incidents in the areas we protect.
“At Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service we see first-hand the impact and effect each incident has on our communities. By developing collaborative campaigns, we hope to help educate and discourage unsafe road and driving habits, ultimately reducing the number of incidents on our roads.”
