Responses from Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Candidates
Questions for the 2017 Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor candidates
For the 2017 elections for Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, we wrote to seven of the eight candidates with two questions about road safety as follows (contact details could not be obtained for Mr Paul Breen):
(1) Would you support a Safe System approach to road safety, with a vision of zero deaths and life-changing injuries?
(2) What measures would you support to achieve this?
As background to these questions,
- Wirral Pedestrians Association (WPA) is very concerned about the high levels of serious pedestrian casualties in Merseyside (the worst in Great Britain).
- In 2013, WPA and Merseyside Cycling Campaign jointly produced a Vision Zero Merseyside document (please see attached [www.vzm.org.uk]) which set out proposals to eradicate fatal and serious injuries to Merseyside pedestrians and cyclists.
- In 2016, WPA wrote to the Merseyside PCC candidates with the same two questions as we are asking you. In her reply, Jane Kennedy (1) agreed to support a Safe System approach to road safety, (2) pledged to make road safety a matter of discussion at the quarterly Force inspections (which she has since done), and (3) said that she would consider adding road safety to the Police & Crime Plan (on which she undertook public consultation in January this year) - so she has started the ball rolling towards safer roads. Her full response is published at http://www.wirralpedestrians.org.uk/pcc_responses.html .
We look forward to your reply.
Answers were received from candidates Tom Crone and Steve Rotheram:
Response from Tom Crone: Yes I would support a safe systems approach. I am keenly aware of the troubling statistics regarding road safety in Liverpool. Pushing for measures to improve the situation has been one of my main activities as a councillor. My maiden speech as a councillor in 2014 was calling for more 20mph on the most dangerous A and B roads in the city centre, which are currently exempt from the city's 20mph scheme. Last year I unsuccessfully pushed for the council to adopt the target of zero deaths on the roads. That is item 78 here. I think safer roads aren't just about improving statistics. I think quiet attractive roads are an essential part of a high quality modern city. A place people want to be, want to spend their time and money and to set up homes and businesses. I would therefore consider a wide range of measures to achieve this. Two key measures would be reducing car traffic through reallocating space to public transport, cycling and walking and reducing the speeds of the cars that are using our roads. I would also look to improve crossings for pedestrians, and would work with Merseyside Police to push speeding and other road issues up their policing priorities. There will be others too, but I hope I have illustrated that a Green Metro-Mayor would have a very different approach to managing the local transport network. | Response on behalf of Steve Rotheram: Steve's manifesto makes the following reference to the interests of pedestrians: Promoting walking and cycling We will lead a City Region-wide campaign to promote walking and cycling and champion the needs of pedestrians and cyclists working alongside public health leaders. We will deliver a strategy to make these sustainable and healthy forms of transport safer and more attractive to all. It is important to appreciate that in terms of governance the Metro Mayor is not intended to take over from the existing local authorities with reference to their duties and responsibilities. The powers of the Metro Mayor and the Combined Authority over which she/he will preside are detailed in the Devolution Deals which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/liverpool-devolution-deal Therefore on issues outside the confines of these agreements Steve is proposing to use the 'soft' or 'convening' power of the role to achieve progress. I hope this is helpful in setting out the position. Olly Martins Head of Policy Steve Rotheram for Metro Mayor c/o CWU, 47 Seymour Terrace L3 5PE t. 0151 708 5355 www.steverotheram.com |