Liberal Democrats call for ‘Vision Zero’ ambition to end to deaths on Shropshire’s roads

Vision Zero is a set of principles and policies aimed at eliminating serious injuries and fatalities involving road traffic. It shifts responsibility for crashes from road users to the designers of the road system – if one occurs, it is up to authorities to ensure that it does not happen again.

In the last 10 years, 170 people have been killed on Shropshire’s roads. If death or serious injury from road traffic crashes on the UK’s roads were a cancer, it would represent the fifth leading new cancer diagnosis in the country.

Vision Zero has been adopted in many other places in the UK and around the world. The policy has had notable success in Norway. In 2019, Oslo achieved a critical milestone: no vulnerable road users died all year, and only one car driver died. Essex, Kent and Oxfordshire County Councils have set Vision Zero targets between 2040 and 2050.

The motion also asks Shropshire Council to incorporate the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines developed by Professor Rachel Aldred from the University of Westminster and journalist Laura Laker into its communications; and for the council to encourage media outlets in the county to do the same.

Proposing the motion, Councillor Rob Wilson (Copthorne) said: “Last year 16 people lost their lives on Shropshire’s roads, quite simply, this motion says that 1 death is too many. It is neither inevitable nor acceptable that anyone should be killed or seriously injured when travelling in Shropshire. When we leave our homes each day, we should feel safe and confident about the journey ahead.”

Councillor Alex Wagner (Bowbrook) added: “We have come far on reducing deaths on the road, but there is a lot more to do. Setting an ambitious target should focus the minds of everyone at Shirehall on how to make our roads safer – and not least to reduce strain on our NHS and A&E services.”

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Heather Kidd (Chirbury and Worthen) said “There is a serious issue across our communities, particularly in rural areas, that people don’t feel safe to walk, so resort to using their cars, which in turn makes the problem worse.”