£175 to go on improving 50 most dangerous roads
The government has given more details about where the £1.1 billion of local road funding announced in the Autumn Staement will be spent.
Some £175 million will go on upgrading and making safer the 50 most risky roads in England.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
“The sooner authorities know how the maintenance money will be allocated and how much they might get the better.
“It’s good to see Chris Grayling finally getting his shovel into the ground on the much needed A14 scheme. Hopefully on the way back to the office he’ll turn his attention to the equally important Lower Thames Crossing.
“After decades of progress in cutting deaths the number of fatalities has been stubbornly stuck at around 1,750 for the past few years.
“Thanks to analysis by EuroRAP our most dangerous roads are already known. The RAC Foundation is working with the Road Safety Foundation to identify what would be needed to tackle the worst offenders. It is therefore very welcome that public money will be available for those councils who come up with credible plans for improving the 50 most risky.
“The Chancellor recognises that for all the talk of third runways and high speed rail, most people’s travelling lives centre on road transport. So improving journeys on the country’s 220,000 miles of local roads will come as a relief to cyclists, motorcyclists and bus passengers as well as the 38 million motorists who rely on them.”
ENDS
Contact:
Philip Gomm – Head of External Communications – RAC Foundation
[email protected] | 020 7747 3445 | 07711 776448 | 020 7389 0601 (ISDN)
Notes to editors:
The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users.
The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist. All the Foundation’s work is available at: www.racfoundation.org