Thousands of children in Cumbria will be able to travel to school in a safer and healthier way, thanks to Cabinet confirmation of dozens of road safety improvements around the county and investment in school cycle storage, road signs around schools and safer school crossings.

Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet confirmed yesterday (May 13) that £90,000 will be spent on 31 Better Ways to School schemes, which are designed to encourage parents and pupils to travel to school in a healthier and safer way than just using the car. The money will be spent on measures such as new cycle paths and footways, cycle storage in schools, interactive road signs, rumble strips, road markings and walking bus crossings.

The schemes have come to fruition through school travel plans, which are drawn up by the county council in conjunction with schools. 245 school travel plans have already been completed in Cumbria since 2001 and this year 58 new ones will be completed - meaning a raft of new engineering schemes similar to the ones announced yesterday will also happen next year.

As well as the investment in and around schools, Cabinet has also now confirmed that a further £259,000 will be invested in 42 engineering schemes in accident black spots. Every year a number of accident cluster sites are identified around the county. These tend to be on A and B roads, where the volume of traffic is highest.

Cllr Ian Stewart, Cabinet member responsible for environmental wellbeing, said: 

"Making Cumbria’s roads safer is a constant rolling programme. We are always evaluating how roads can be re-engineered to make them safer for drivers and pedestrians and we always have teams out in the county doing the work that needs to be done.

"Added to this are the road safety messages delivered through the Safer Roads for Cumbria partnership. We have been successful in driving down the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads and have already met the 2010 reduction target laid down by the government. But one death on the road is one too many and making our roads safer is a job that will always need to be done."

ENDS

Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.

Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332

Note

Follow the link below to view the Cabinet paper which lists the individual schemes to be implemented this year. 

Follow this link to view the cabinet paper