GT
•
Glasgow City Council Officer
•
2023-11-30
• 9 comments
study
Proposal code:
GlasgowCommunityChoices-2023-11-15
Glasgow City Council will carry out a study into the links between road safety and deprivation.
Glasgow City Council will carry out a study into the links between road safety and deprivation. We will identify possible ways to lessen the impact of transport poverty and reduce road casualties in line with the Road Safety Framework to 2030.
Often, areas which have high social deprivation are fairly close to more affluent parts of the city where car ownership is higher. Consequently, areas of high social deprivation are often used as quieter routes (‘rat runs’) so that drivers to avoid busier main roads. There is a tendency for some to travel at higher speeds, but often within the speed limit, through such areas because the streets have less traffic. In addition, those using the area to pass through have no home connection to the area and there is tendency for lack of a ‘stake’ in the area to lead to a subconscious lack of alertness for possible pedestrian and other road user behaviours.
There are well tried ways of making rat runs less attractive to drivers who are passing through - narrowing entry points, instituting one way systems, using chicanes to require drivers to slow down , having speed limits of 20mph or less. At pedestrian crossings the street width should be narrowed and zebra crossings installed.
Thank you for your comments and for your insight into road user behaviour and rat running. You are correct, the speed limit is the maximum speed allowed and drivers should think more about the 'appropriate speed' for the road on which they are travelling i.e., outside a school or shopping area. We are currently undertaking a full city-wide study of the set speed limit for every street in the city to identify those suitable for a mandatory 20mph speed limit. Glasgow's Road Safety Unit also works closely with partners in Police Scotland and the Safety Camera partnership to review injury collision sites and actively investigate complaints of speeding and rat running.
International evidence must already exist on this. Vision zero data from Oslo suggests the most significant contributor to road safety is modal shift. Rather than a study, designing experiments-through-action would be a better way to count toward a local evidence base for a subject which cannot waste time, not least since statistics are already collated and publicly available. My position here is that we already know there is a link between these topics: there are multiple causal relationships between a lack of road safety cultivating long-term deprivation (community severance, a lack of physical activity, noise as a pervasive source of stress, social ties and risks of alienation, and associated long-term health outcomes). More obviously, immediate safety risks of road transport translate as significant costs to the NHS, and maintaining roads and motorways consumes public money which could otherwise be spent to mitigate deprivation. There are opportunity costs of inaction and delays.
I could not agree more! Gathering more data for something that we know is already an issue is just a stalling technique. Action is needed not more research. As a compromise, perhaps an action research methodology and not just more stats analysis.
The Scottish government's road safety framework to 2030 has an intermediate target, to balance the disparity between the high number of people injured on our roads from more deprived areas, compared to those who reside in more affluent areas. Yes, we are aware of existing research, but a recent review of Glasgow's road injury collision data has highlighted this area as a high priority and we need to investigate further to help target our limited resources. Modal shift is important, however, as Oslo is one of the most affluent cities in Europe, it's difficult to say that modal shift alone will have the same impact in Glasgow.
I've noticed that some speed cameras in Glasgow have been removed, for example the one near Smithycroft Secondary school in the East End. Why? In order to improve road safety more speed checks are required. Its common to see drivers on their phone, speeding or going through red lights. If they felt they were being monitored, they would reduce their risky behaviour. Also, fines produce revenue, which the council needs.
There is an abundance of existing research on the link between deprivation and road safety. Is further research the best use of resource?
Could new speed cameras be funded and located in areas which score poorly on the SIMD and also show high road traffic collisions or pedestrian injury?
There is a severe lack of speed or traffic enforcement cameras throughout the city.
In low-scoring SIMD areas, perhaps priority and focus should be given to ensuring there is the best pedestrian infrastructure, with reduced road curve radii, raised table crossings, bollards at junctions, etc and limited through routes to prevent unnecessary non-local journeys from surrounding less deprived areas.
It will be important that developments in the City to improve road safety are reflective of any different impacts relating to social and economic deprivation
Often, areas which have high social deprivation are fairly close to more affluent parts of the city where car ownership is higher. Consequently, areas of high social deprivation are often used as quieter routes (‘rat runs’) so that drivers to avoid busier main roads. There is a tendency for some to travel at higher speeds, but often within the speed limit, through such areas because the streets have less traffic. In addition, those using the area to pass through have no home connection to the area and there is tendency for lack of a ‘stake’ in the area to lead to a subconscious lack of alertness for possible pedestrian and other road user behaviours.
There are well tried ways of making rat runs less attractive to drivers who are passing through - narrowing entry points, instituting one way systems, using chicanes to require drivers to slow down , having speed limits of 20mph or less. At pedestrian crossings the street width should be narrowed and zebra crossings installed.
Thank you for your comments and for your insight into road user behaviour and rat running. You are correct, the speed limit is the maximum speed allowed and drivers should think more about the 'appropriate speed' for the road on which they are travelling i.e., outside a school or shopping area. We are currently undertaking a full city-wide study of the set speed limit for every street in the city to identify those suitable for a mandatory 20mph speed limit. Glasgow's Road Safety Unit also works closely with partners in Police Scotland and the Safety Camera partnership to review injury collision sites and actively investigate complaints of speeding and rat running.
International evidence must already exist on this. Vision zero data from Oslo suggests the most significant contributor to road safety is modal shift. Rather than a study, designing experiments-through-action would be a better way to count toward a local evidence base for a subject which cannot waste time, not least since statistics are already collated and publicly available. My position here is that we already know there is a link between these topics: there are multiple causal relationships between a lack of road safety cultivating long-term deprivation (community severance, a lack of physical activity, noise as a pervasive source of stress, social ties and risks of alienation, and associated long-term health outcomes). More obviously, immediate safety risks of road transport translate as significant costs to the NHS, and maintaining roads and motorways consumes public money which could otherwise be spent to mitigate deprivation. There are opportunity costs of inaction and delays.
I could not agree more! Gathering more data for something that we know is already an issue is just a stalling technique. Action is needed not more research. As a compromise, perhaps an action research methodology and not just more stats analysis.
Thank you for your comments, as this is proposed research, your comments will be considered as we progress this matter.
The Scottish government's road safety framework to 2030 has an intermediate target, to balance the disparity between the high number of people injured on our roads from more deprived areas, compared to those who reside in more affluent areas. Yes, we are aware of existing research, but a recent review of Glasgow's road injury collision data has highlighted this area as a high priority and we need to investigate further to help target our limited resources. Modal shift is important, however, as Oslo is one of the most affluent cities in Europe, it's difficult to say that modal shift alone will have the same impact in Glasgow.
I've noticed that some speed cameras in Glasgow have been removed, for example the one near Smithycroft Secondary school in the East End. Why? In order to improve road safety more speed checks are required. Its common to see drivers on their phone, speeding or going through red lights. If they felt they were being monitored, they would reduce their risky behaviour. Also, fines produce revenue, which the council needs.
There is an abundance of existing research on the link between deprivation and road safety. Is further research the best use of resource?
Could new speed cameras be funded and located in areas which score poorly on the SIMD and also show high road traffic collisions or pedestrian injury?
There is a severe lack of speed or traffic enforcement cameras throughout the city.
In low-scoring SIMD areas, perhaps priority and focus should be given to ensuring there is the best pedestrian infrastructure, with reduced road curve radii, raised table crossings, bollards at junctions, etc and limited through routes to prevent unnecessary non-local journeys from surrounding less deprived areas.
It will be important that developments in the City to improve road safety are reflective of any different impacts relating to social and economic deprivation