Road Safety

A new report from the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation has warned that controversial bus stop bypasses can deter disabled people from using buses.

Mandatory safety rules introduced across the European Union at the weekend are likely to see the same technology introduced in Great Britain, the RAC has said.

Calls are growing for the introduction of Graduated Driver Licensing, which would prevent newly qualified drivers carrying passengers of the same age and driving in the early hours for six months.

Limited funding and inadequate data are major barriers to road safety planning and measurement, local authorities have reported.

The Welsh Government transport minister has hailed road casualty data since a default 20mph residential speed limit was introduced last September as showing that ‘things are moving in the right direction’.

A major local government insurer has warned that months of rain may have caused ‘some of the worst ever road conditions’.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the ‘world-leading’ Automated Vehicles (AV) Act, which became law on Monday (20 May), enables advanced technology to safely drive vehicles on British roads.

Technology on smart motorways lost power nearly 400 times over 20 months, according to the BBC.

Deaths on smart motorways have hit a record high, analysis by the Sunday Times has revealed.

Welsh government ministers are set to amend their controversial policy of default 20mph limits in an effort to compromise with critics.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has refused to say when it will make a decision on giving councils the power to ban pavement parking, amid criticism that it has ‘sat on’ the issue for over three years.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced up to £80.4m for boroughs to improve public transport, make walking and cycling safer and create new school streets.

The Department for Transport has updated its guidance for councils on allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes.

Transport for London has launched a dashboard which shows how deprivation is linked to higher levels of death and injury on the capital’s roads.

The Department for Transport has brought in rule changes to make it easier for local authorities to put up wildlife warning signs, as well as revising a hedgehog sign that it launched just five years ago.

Deaths and serious injuries caused by driver speed rose significantly last year, according to analysis of government road casualty data to mark Road Safety Week 2023.

Ministers have published an Automated Vehicles (AV) Bill which they said would deliver one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks in the world for self-driving vehicles, ‘with safety at its core’.

A charity for visually impaired people has urged the Government to do more to crack down on pavement parking.

Transport for London has announced 65km of new 20mph speed limits to be introduced across eight London boroughs by the end of the year.

Motoring groups have expressed concern over new data showing that half of car drivers exceed the speed limit on 30mph roads.

An estimated 260 people were killed in drink-drive road collisions in 2021, the worst casualty rate since 2009.

Rishi Sunak has asked the Department for Transport to review low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in England over concerns they add to congestion on nearby roads and hinder access to key services.

More than 50 organisations, including six local authorities, have signed a letter calling on the Government to legalise e-scooters.

A key industry body has launched a campaign urging the Home Office to review the process by which it approves enforcement technology for use on the road network.

A road safety charity has called on local authorities to implement 20mph speed limits around all schools.

Haringey councillors have signed off on a plan that will almost treble the number of School Streets in the borough to 61.

A new National Highways report says its will focus on making the most of its existing network with an 'increased focus on smaller £2-25m schemes' but mega projects are set to still dominate RIS 3.

New research has confirmed that 20mph limits backed by physical measures have substantially greater speed and casualty reduction benefits – with compliance found to be 'poor' where no physical measures are in place.

Ministers are to lay legislation on Wednesday to allow longer lorries to operate on roads in Great Britain.

Prime minster Rishi Sunak has scrapped plans for new all lane running smart motorways on the grounds of cost and a lack of public confidence.

Transport for London will begin work this month to improve pedestrian crossings and change road layouts at several junctions on a major road, making crossing the road easier and safer.

Ministers have announced 27 local schemes that will share £47.5m road safety cash - a cutback on the 45 schemes floated in last autumn's mini budget, meaning some councils have missed out.

The Government has launched a road safety campaign to raise awareness of risks when speeding or driving too fast for road conditions, especially on rural roads.

Walking charity Living Streets has launched a new campaign calling for reduced waiting times for pedestrians at signal-controlled crossings.

Transport for London has admitted that it based claims of ‘a significant reduction’ in collisions on key roads since 20mph speed limits were implemented on comparisons between pre-pandemic data and data covering pandemic lockdowns.

Rod King MBE, founder and campaign director at 20’s Plenty for Us, responds to a new study that – on the face of it – casts doubt on the effectiveness of 20mph limits.

Sarah Smith, senior associate, and Jack Trowsdale, paralegal, Corporate Services at DWF, look at the implications of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act for drivers and their employers.

A highway authority in Somerset has defended itself against accusations that its new road safety scheme is ‘bizarre’ and could actually prove to be a risk to drivers.

National Highways needs to urgently improve the operation of stopped vehicle detection technology, which is missing one in three live lane stops, the company’s official monitor has said.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods reduce traffic and air pollution without displacing the problem to nearby streets, new research has shown.

Transport for London is consulting on plans to introduce 28km of new 20mph speed limits within five London boroughs.

Bath & North East Somerset council has begun the deployment of 20mph speed limits to around six miles of roads outside of the centre of Bath that mainly carry through traffic.

A 20mph speed limit across Wales could save £100m in the first year due to a reduction in deaths and injuries, new research has found.

Wandsworth council in London has launched a pilot scheme that will see drivers fined by the local authority if they speed in a 20mph zone.

Final data for 2021 confirms that road casualties returned to pre-pandemic levels as traffic returned following lockdowns in 2020.

National Highways met its road investment strategy targets in 2021-22, but its official monitor has raised concerns about three ‘critical’ areas of delivery, including traffic officer response times on smart motorways.

The Welsh Senedd has approved legislation to lower the default national speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets in the country from 30mph to 20mph.

Campaigners have called for a rethink on ‘floating bus stops’, which require passengers to cross cycle lanes to board buses, highlighting the danger they pose to visually impaired people.

With legalisation in sight, Martin Usher, personal injury partner at Lime Solicitors, asks what we have learnt from the e-scooter trials.

Ministers have announced the creation of the country’s first ever Road Safety Investigation Branch, following a four-year project to investigate the concept and ‘overwhelming support’ for the move.

Oxfordshire County Council has urged residents and road users ‘to engage constructively’ with its consultation on trial low traffic neighbourhoods after vandalism costing £12,000 in a month.

A free planning tool to help local authorities make active travel safer and less stressful for users has been launched by the Road Safety Foundation.

There were an estimated 1,560 deaths on British roads last year, as traffic levels recovered from significant falls in 2020.

Cornwall Council is reducing the speed limit on hundreds of residential roads from 30mph to 20mph.

The slow pace of transition to self-driving has again been highlighted after ministers confirmed changes to the Highway Code to cover ‘the first wave’ of the technology, nearly a year after a consultation.

Grant Shapps has indicated that he plans to lift the ban on privately owned e-scooters, with legislation expected in the Queen's Speech in May.

A key road safety group has called on ministers to take immediate action to tackle the growing danger from private e-scooters after it was revealed that 11 people died last year in incidents involving illegal private use.

Lucie Clinch, a senior associate and knowledge development lawyer at Stewarts, addresses the legal and physical risks of micromobility.

A road safety charity has called for British drivers to be better educated about autonomous vehicle technology, including making it part of the driving test.

City region transport authorities are calling for a new ‘national enabling framework’ to allow councils to regulate and charge operators of e-scooter and other micromobility rental services.

Transportation robotics company Superpedestrian is to deploy its AI-based safety system across its LINK e-scooter fleets, including those that are part of government-backed trials in the UK.

Cycling UK's Cherry Allan says it is dismayed by the roll-out of longer lorries.

Legal experts have called for a new Automated Vehicles Act to draw a clear distinction between genuine self-driving features and those that merely assist drivers, such as adaptive cruise control.

Ministers have agreed to a five-year pause on new smart motorway schemes following a Transport Select Committee enquiry into the controversial road types.

Transport for London has signed a new contract with construction business management consultant SECBE to deliver the Construction Logistics and Community Safety scheme.

Telematics technology firm Teletrac Navman has launched an interactive online dashboard that provides insights into the issues that influence road safety.

Greater Manchester’s mayor and transport commissioner have written to the transport secretary seeking permission for a mass trial of zebra markings at side roads after new evidence showed that they lead to a 65% increase in drivers giving way.

Hojol Uddin, a partner at JMW Solicitors, says the concept behind smart motorways is multifaceted and they are not about to be scrapped.

MPs have called on ministers to pause the rollout of all-lane running (ALR) ‘smart motorways’ until the safety and economic case for the schemes is clear and National Highways has delivered and evaluated key safety improvements.

Transport for London has appointed Sopra Steria to run the FORS fleet accreditation scheme in a deal worth £45m.

Electric transportation firm Bird has announced new ‘smart sidewalk protection' technology which aims to prevent e-scooters and other micromobility devices being used on footways and footpaths.

Disability campaigner Lord Holmes discusses the ongoing e-scooter trials and growing concerns over safety and accessibility on our roads.

A leading road safety charity has called on the Government ‘to make up its mind now’ to drive down injuries on UK roads caused by e-scooters.

Police forces across the UK are carrying out the first ever National Safe Speeds Day to highlight the human cost of excessive speed and encourage compliance with speed limits.

Cycling UK has won the right to challenge a council’s decision to remove a popular cycle lane after a High Court ruling refusing permission for a judicial review was overturned.

Lambeth Council has been forced to install security measures after vandals targeted its Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes.

Chris Theobald from Guide Dogs looks at the impact of e-scooters on people with sight loss and the wider community.

A legal challenge against Lambeth Council's low traffic neighbourhoods has been rejected by the High Court.

A new study has calculated that investment packages totalling £1.4bn could prevent over 11,000 fatal and serious injuries on the roads over the next two decades.

The Welsh Government has confirmed plans to reduce the national default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets as one of its legislative priorities for the year.

Deaths on Britain’s roads fell by 16% last year but traffic levels were down 22%, meaning that fatality rates rose. The latest government figures also show a 40% rise in the number of cyclists killed.

The UK came 31st out of 32 European countries in terms of progress in reducing road deaths over the past 10 years, new statistics have revealed.

Transport for London and five London boroughs have launched the capital’s long-awaited e-scooter rental trial, although one participant withdrew from the starting line-up.

Transport for London has slapped HGV operators with penalty charge notices worth nearly £4m since March under its Direct Vision Standard road safety scheme.

Transport Network speaks to Adrian Murphy, new chief operating officer at SRL Traffic Systems, to find out more about his views on the highway sector and his ambitions for the future.

Transport Network speaks to Christina Calderato, head of transport planning at Transport for London, about where its recently launched Direct Vision Standard and permit scheme for HGVs fits in with its wider efforts to make the capital’s streets safer.

Plans to legally define vehicles with Automated Lane Keeping System technology as self-driving and allow them on British roads this year have been criticised for exaggerating the capabilities of the technology.

Local authorities will be able to offer bespoke Bikeability Family training sessions to help people feel more confident cycling.

Sunderland will begin an electric scooter rental trial on Wednesday, backed by accident prevention charity RoSPA.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said he intends to delay publishing a progress report on smart motorway safety until ‘the summer’, despite recently telling MPs that he would ‘come back to this House and report on it very quickly’.

Only half of the cameras capable of enforcing violations of lane closures on smart motorways are fully operational, a year and a half after a change in the law made it possible for camera evidence to be used for prosecutions.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on a borough council to reinstate protected cycle lanes on a main road after research found that a majority of local residents support them.

Transport for London (TfL) has installed new ‘green woman’ traffic signals at more than 20 pedestrian crossings across the capital to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women to London on International Women’s Day.

London’s new Direct Vision Standard (DVS) for HGVs has come into force, aimed at tackling the issue of drivers' blind spots by employing safety permits.

Transport for London (TfL) has started work on a ‘trial upgrade’ of a stretch of cycle route in south London but has still not addressed the issues raised by the death of a motorcyclist nearly five years ago.

New concerns have been raised over the safety of ‘smart motorway’ schemes after it emerged that deaths on such roads reached their highest ever level in 2019.

The transport secretary has admitted that it was ‘entirely wrong’ to roll out all lane running ‘smart motorways’ without the stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology that would justify the name.

Jo Bullock, executive head of awareness and education at RoSPA, says safety measures and rider education are key to the roll-out of e-scooters.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council will be trialling touchless technology at six busy pedestrian crossings in a bid to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Government policies to reduce drink driving will lack credibility if they fail to cut the legal limit in England and Wales, a key transport safety body has said.

The widow of a man killed on a smart motorway has thanked the coroner who described such schemes as presenting ‘an ongoing risk of future deaths’ and called for a new review into their safety.

Transport for London has unveiled a new online tool that it said will enable organisations and the public to see the level of road casualties in the capital.

Ministers should not 'lose momentum' over the legalisation of electric scooters on UK roads, MPs have said.

Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility, responds to the recent Transport Select Committee report calling for the legalisation of the use of electric scooters on public highways.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has launched an online dashboard that provides information about crashes in each MP’s constituency.

More than a quarter of male drivers admit having driven above 100mph, according to new research published to mark Road Safety Week 2020.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has released road safety audit guidance.

Local authorities will be able to apply for grants to fund projects that explore how technology can reduce driver offending and improve road safety.

TIER has committed to adding sound to its e-scooters to alert blind and partially sighted people that they are approaching.

Researchers and insurers have urged ministers to rethink a plan to introduce self-driving technology onto UK roads early next year ‘because it will put lives at risk’.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is set to extend 20mph limits to some of the main routes in and out of Bath for the first time.

New statistics have confirmed that the number of deaths on British roads continued to flatline at the end of the last decade, although the number of other casualties fell.

Slough Borough Council and Neuron Mobility have announced a new e-scooter trial, starting next month.

The United Nations has backed the use of 30km/h (approx 20mph) limits as part of a worldwide drive to cut road deaths and injuries by half.

A new report has called for an investment package of £1.2bn to improve the safety of more than 5,000km of roads and prevent more than 8,000 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years.

The Scottish Government aims to halve the number of people killed or seriously injured on the road network by 2030 and achieve zero fatalities by 2050.

Latest Government statistics found half of cars and vans exceed the speed limit on motorways and more than one in 10 speed by more than 10mph.

Fatalities on the strategic road network (SRN) have fallen to a level last seen in 2014, new statistics suggest.

A £300,000 fund has been opened to help local authorities respond to changing road use and emerging road safety issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next physical Cold Comfort Scotland event will now take place on 22 April 2021 with its place in the calendar this September filled by a new virtual event – the Cold Comfort Digital Academy.

Ministers have announced a ban on tyres aged 10 years and older on lorries, buses and coaches on roads in England, Scotland and Wales.

Local authorities will be given the power to use CCTV to fine drivers who misuse mandatory cycle lanes, the Government has announced.

The Road Safety Foundation has been awarded nearly £200,000 to develop a specialist resource to help local authorities analyse risks to vulnerable road users in towns and cities.

A Highways England document seen by Transport Network has revealed worrying levels of speeding on the strategic road network (SRN).

The Department for Transport’s ‘stocktake’ of smart motorways was launched last October and originally due to take weeks. It was published in March this year and argued that smart motorways were a safety improvement – but a qualified one. An action plan has been launched to address concerns. However, Dominic Browne argues that questions remain.

Highways England is significantly off track against its key 2015-2020 road safety target, according to data obtained by Transport Network.

The Department for Transport has released the much-anticipated smart motorway stocktake, including an action plan on how to improve safety on the controversial roads.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has pledged to set out new plans to tackle pavement parking, which it said would make streets safer for parents and disabled people.

Greater London, Greater Manchester and Glasgow city councils, and national walking/cycling charity SUSTRANS, have joined agencies from 13 other European countries to back a new safe urban streets 'paradigm'.

Speed limits of 20mph are now in force across 8.9km of roads within London’s Congestion Charging Zone.

A new nationwide campaign aims to put pressure on Highways England to improve the quality of its signage and road safety.

Highways England has re-opened the debate over the effectiveness of its current stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology, claiming that it is ‘effective in all levels of traffic’.

A task group has concluded that North Yorkshire County Council’s proposal to impose a blanket 20mph limit across the county was ‘unrealistic’ both in terms of cost and enforcement.

The transport secretary is finalising ‘a serious package of measures’ to tackle concerns over the safety of smart motorways, MPs have been told.

The Government has told BBC's Panorama that 38 people have been killed on smart motorways over the last five years.

New evidence suggests virtual reality hazard perception tests are superior to traditional single-screen presentation methods, potentially providing a major boost to driver safety.

Councillors in Glasgow have recommended the adoption of 20mph speed limit for most roads in the city, but with limited, if any, traffic calming measures.

Hampshire County Council has been fined £1.4m after a child suffered a head injury caused by an unsecured street bollard.

The latest findings from the 2018/2019 Transport Scotland’s live brine trials have been released and after three winter seasons of research, the recommendations have become clearer and the areas of further research more specific. Dominic Browne reports

New research from the road safety charity Brake suggests almost a third of UK adults could have been involved in a collision, or had a near miss, with a vehicle on a UK road in the past year.

The Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) has much to celebrate at its annual conference this November, which features transport minister Baroness Vere and Department for Transport (DfT) stalwart Steve Berry. Dominic Browne writes

The Government is set to crack down on any hand-held mobile phone use while driving, including taking photos, browsing the internet or scrolling through a playlist

A court has agreed to extend an injunction banning street cruising from the roads of Birmingham for another three years, the city council has confirmed.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a scheme to remove ‘the most dangerous’ Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) from the capital’s streets.

The number of people killed on Scotland’s roads rose by 11% last year, according to official statistics.

Highways England’s target to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on its network could be revised for a second time, it has emerged.

Chris Ames looks at the reality behind the safety issues on all lane running 'smart motorways'.

Andy Bird, managing director, GTT Wireless, examines the connected infrastructure that is already saving lives and easing vehicle flow on our roads.

The new Highbury Corner junction has officially opened after what Transport for London (TfL) described as a transformation ‘from one of London's most intimidating roundabouts into a junction that is much safer and more welcoming for people’.

Edinburgh Council could add more roads to the city’s 20mph network although the scheme has had a limited impact on traffic speeds.

The number of people being killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads is on the rise according to official statistics, as road safety continues to stall.

Highways England is ‘struggling to understand’ the recent controversy over the safety of all lane running ‘smart motorways’, its chief executive has said.

Transport for London (TfL) is set to take forward plans to lower speed limits on its roads across central London.

Road safety body the European Road Assessment Programme has appointed Lina Konstantinopoulou as its secretary general in Brussels.

The widow of a driver who was killed in a crash on a smart motorway is to sue Highways England for corporate manslaughter, it has emerged.

Motoring groups have called for tougher action on drink driving after new statistics showed a 25% increase in related fatalities since 2015.

Influential MPs have called on government to consider a ban on using 'hands free' phones while driving to prevent ‘entirely avoidable’ road deaths.

Boris Johnson has appointed two new ministers of state, Chris Heaton-Harris MP and George Freeman MP, at the Department for Transport.

Andy James, chief commercial officer at First Central Insurance and Technology Group, asks what Chris Grayling’s new hedgehog traffic sign tells us about road safety.

Highways England has been given a reasonably clean bill of health by its watchdog's annual report, although more progress must be made on safety, customer satisfaction and the continuing delays to delivery.

The Government’s latest road safety action plan has floated a number of possible measures to cut fatalities but makes very few firm commitments.

England's approach to local road safety has major structural weaknesses and is hamstrung by a chronic lack of funding meaning councils may soon be unable to fulfil their legal duties, a new report has found.

A leading safety charity has called on ministers to set safety goals for the proposed major road network of local authority roads and for over £500m to be spent across Great Britain to improve high risk routes.

A camera system that uses artificial intelligence may be able to help bus drivers avoid hitting cyclists and pedestrians in their blind spot.

A law requiring manufacturers to install an acoustic sound system in new types of quiet electric and hybrid electric vehicles came into force on Monday.

The first stage of a major consultation into the legal ramifications of driverless cars looks set to raise more questions than it answered.

New data from the EU has revealed that road deaths on urban roads decreased at around half the rate of those on rural roads over the period 2010-2017 and pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – the three most vulnerable user groups – represent 70% of those killed and seriously injured in urban areas.

Speed limits for key routes in central London could be cut to 20mph under plans announced by Transport for London and mayor Sadiq Khan.

The Square Mile in London is set to become the UK’s first area with a 15mph speed limit.

Analysis by Sustrans Scotland has revealed that the rate of traffic incidents involving children on foot or bike in the most deprived areas of Scotland is three times that in the least deprived areas.

The Government has approved the use of gantry mounted cameras to fine drivers for ignoring red X signs on smart motorways, more than three years after Highways England said it wanted the law changed.

Campaigning research charity the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has appointed its first road safety engineering director.

Transport Network speaks to Helen Aluko-olokun, policy business partner at Guide Dogs, about inclusive mobility and whether the tide has turned against shared space.

An announcement about two innovative open source safety solutions for roadworks zones on dual carriageways will launch a new feature of Traffex 2019 – live news conferences from the exhibition floor.

Road safety vehicle specialist Blakedale will showcase the best of its self-drive traffic management fleet of vehicles at Traffex next week, including a ‘revolutionary’ crash cushion.

From 2022 new cars, vans, lorries and buses sold in Europe could automatically prevent drivers from going over the speed limit, under a provisional EU deal.

One of the UK’s leading experts in connected and automated vehicles (CAV) has warned that the industry needs to be prepared for a major software problem, or risk cars being prevented from moving.

The Commons Transport Committee is launching an inquiry ‘to scrutinise the Government’s approach to road safety’ over concern that progress on the issue has levelled off.

New research from the RAC has found that more than a fifth of motorists have driven in a lane closed by the red X sign in the past year.

The average speed of vehicles using a shared space in London has increased by 5mph over the past six years, new figures have revealed.

Road deaths involving drink-driving incidents are at their highest level since 2009, according to official estimates.

The national roads watchdog has challenged Highways England over its failure to publish long-awaited data on the safety of the strategic road network (SRN), Transport Network has learned.

Labour’s shadow roads minister has accused the Government of a record of failure on road safety in the ongoing row over the unspent £75m for improvements to local roads.

A long-awaited evaluation of the use of 20mph limit schemes has failed to find evidence of a significant short-term impact on safety but pointed out that they could provide other benefits, including promoting active travel.

The roads sector has been left wondering where £75m originally allocated to the Government's Safer Roads Fund will be spent, after the minister said the fund had 'done its job'.

People on two wheels face a 63 times higher risk of being killed or seriously injured (KSI) per mile travelled than car drivers, a road safety charity has said.

Potholes and poor carriageway surfacing have topped a list of risks to cyclists and motorcyclists compiled by road safety experts.

New statistics have revealed that many single carriageway roads on the strategic road network (SRN) present an ‘unacceptably high’ risk to drivers.

A new report has highlighted the 2,549 additional deaths that have occurred on Britain’s roads in the last decade as the long-term trend of casualty reduction has stalled.

The latest figures from the Scottish Government have revealed impressive progress on road safety, with the number of casualties down to the lowest level since records began.

Campaigners have welcomed confirmation that planned revisions to the Highway Code will include new measures to promote cycle and pedestrian safety, including the ‘Dutch reach’ method of opening car doors to avoid hitting cyclists.

Highways England has linked with walking and cycling charity Sustrans to deliver cycling schemes worth £3m as it attempts to meet its target for cycling improvements in the Road Investment Strategy (RIS).

A £100m scheme to improve the 48 riskiest local authority A roads in England will prevent almost 1,450 deaths and serious injuries over the next two decades, safety campaigners have said.

The transport watchdog has called on Highways England to do more to address the safety fears of cyclists, pedestrians and horseriders.

New regulations governing bus safety in London ‘do not go far enough’, according to the London Assembly’s transport committee.

Motoring groups have called for more effective action to tackle road casualties after the number of people killed on Britain’s roads rose again.

Highways England has launched a new campaign to alert drivers to the risks of tailgaiting, as new figures show that driving too close to the vehicle in front causes more than 100 people to be killed or seriously injured each year.

Highways England has sent 130,000 warning letters in two years to motorway users who wrongly used the hard shoulder or ignored red X warning signs as many continue to flout the law in the absence of automatic enforcement.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has outlined plans to create new offences for cyclists equivalent to causing death or serious injury by careless or dangerous driving, and floated the idea of introducing a law against drivers passing too closely.

Those of you blissfully unaware that aeroplanes are not the only vehicles to carry black boxes are most likely experienced drivers who are not affected by eye-watering car insurance prices.

Former director of the Department for Transport and current director of the RAC Foundation, Steve Gooding, talks about life’s hardest lessons.

Highways England is to test whether speed limits through motorway roadworks can be increased to up to 60mph at weekends or different speeds used in different directions through the same works.

The EU’s target to halve road fatalities by 2020 now seems likely to be missed, with the UK currently making no major progress, road safety experts have said.

The RSMA has announced the appointment of Stuart Caroline as its health, safety and environmental (HSE) and assessment manager.

Ministers have promised ‘swifter justice’ for drink-drivers through new roadside breathalyser equipment but the technology remains unproven and will not be introduced for at least two years.

Scotland has achieved a major success in road safety taking the country ahead of its 2020 target for reducing road fatalities.

The Government has announced a three-year trial under which dedicated investigation teams will be deployed to UK roads to analyse the cause of road collisions.

Highways England has revealed that there are nearly 300 incidents of incursions and abuse reported by road workers on the strategic road network every week.

Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf has said cameras on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness 'have undoubtedly made the A9 safer'.

The governor of the US state of Arizona has suspended Uber’s self-driving vehicle testing after a pedestrian was killed in a Phoenix suburb last week.

National charity Cycling UK has expressed its alarm at a 'steadily worsening trend' of casualties after the latest figures showed that 64 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in one year in accidents attributable to potholes.

The number of drivers issued with fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel has dropped by two fifths since the penalties doubled, but the AA has warned that police may be failing to enforce the law.

Hundreds of drivers were stranded on the M80 motorway in Scotland overnight as widespread snow caused severe disruption across Britain, including a new high alert for Wales and South West England.

Network Rail has launched a week of action on a level crossing in the St Albans area after two people in two weeks narrowly avoided death or serious injury on the same crossing.

A key industry body has said that the Government’s announcement of £7m to promote safe cycling fails to address the fundamental safety issue of potholes and deteriorating road surfaces.

Ministers are inviting eight English cities to bid for a share of £6.5m to improve safety for cyclists as part of the Government’s controversial cycle safety review.

Highways England has extended the deadline for people to object to its proposal to ban cycling on a section of the A63 in Yorkshire on safety grounds, following a huge number of responses.

A 72-year-old man and his teenage grandson were killed at the weekend when a passenger train hit a car on a level crossing in West Sussex.

The introduction of 20mph speed limits in Bristol has managed to save four lives and avoid eleven serious injuries, according to a new study.

The number of road casualties in Great Britain fell by 5% in the year to September 2017, including a drop in the number of fatalities, while casualties from drink-drive collisions reached their highest total since 2012.

The tram industry is to set up a new body to implement the recommendations of the investigation into the Croydon tram crash.

Chris Ames looks at the complicated issue of following recommendations from coroners when it comes to road safety.

Volvo appears to be applying the brakes to its Drive Me project to publicly test driverless cars but still aims to have a fully autonomous vehicle commercially available within four years.

Leading research body TRL has said that it has conducted little research into the issue of differential friction on road surfaces after Transport for London (TfL) said it was not aware of evidence to back a coroner’s suggestion that it represents a hazard.

The Coroner at the inquest into the death a toddler who was hit by a van in a Jersey ‘shared space’ scheme is planning to write to the relevant authorities to make recommendations.

An annual record 324 billion vehicle miles (bvm) were travelled on Great Britain’s roads in 2016, up 2.2% on the previous year, while people walked on average the distance from London to the Yorkshire Dales.

One in five patients admitted to trauma centres in England and Wales last year were involved in a road crash, according to new figures.

A team of the UK’s leading road safety professionals has warned that the ‘rush’ to introduce blanket 20mph limits in towns and cities may be counterproductive.

More than half of drivers in a new survey felt that congestion on major roads has increased in the last year, while other drivers’ use of handheld phones has overtaken the condition of local roads as the top concern of motorists.

Highways England could increase the speed limit on motorway road works to 60mph as early as this year, following trials that showed that higher speeds reduced drivers’ heart rates.

Reading westbound services on the M4 has been named England’s top motorway services in a new user survey, which found that visiting services significantly improves the mood of drivers.

New guidelines published today could be used by any road agency in the world to make roads significantly safer, according to a leading safety charity.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the drink-drive law and the roadside breath test, the RAC has called on ministers to cut the blood-alcohol limit in England and Wales, a demand it says is backed by ‘overwhelming’ opinion among motorists.

As the chief executive of the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA), George Lee, prepares to move on to take up his new post leading the Highways Term Maintenance Association, the RSMA takes a look back at the last two decades of his leadership and gives us an exclusive look at what comes next.

Ministers have announced an ‘urgent review into cycle safety’, which they are expressly linking to recent ‘high profile incidents involving cyclists’, such as the death of pedestrian Kim Briggs.

A consortium led by automotive technology firm Applus IDIADA has been awarded government funding to develop technology that could radically cut motorway pile-ups by helping vehicles make cooperative decisions.

There is currently no answer to key ethical issues around autonomous vehicles, such as whether they should be programmed to prioritise the safety of occupants or pedestrians, the head of Britain’s leading transport research body has said.

The RAC Foundation has called for motorways to be made ‘welcoming and safe’ for drivers who rarely use them after Department for Transport (DfT) data showed that many people cannot access the network easily.

The Government will consider extending the law on dangerous driving to cover offences by cyclists, prime minister Theresa May has said.

A new survey has revealed strong backing for measures to improve road safety and increasing support for both sustainable modes of travel and car use.

Nearly 200 Manchester cyclists are carrying out the first large-scale British trial of a combined bike light and road condition monitoring unit.

A partnership between Colas and two US companies is seeking to save roadworker lives with what is thought to be the world’s first Autonomous Impact Protection Vehicle (AIPV).

Learner drivers will be allowed on motorways from next year as long as they are with an approved driving instructor in a dual control car.

A new report suggests that high levels of stress, fatigue and distractions – including from drivers’ own control centres – may be contributing to high numbers of accidents involving London buses.

At least ten people were injured on Thursday morning when a bus crashed into a shop in London, including the driver and two passengers who had to be cut from the top deck by the fire brigade.

Campaigners are calling for the law to be changed to require drivers who knock down cats to report the incident, claiming that our feline friends deserve the same rights as dogs.

The Government's suggestion that councils could remove speed bumps to improve air quality is starting to unravel after it appeared unable to provide evidence that such a move will have overall benefits and the UK's leading transport research body questioned its rationale.

A van driver who ran over and killed a three-year-old boy has become the first person to be sentenced for causing death by careless driving in Jersey.

New evidence proves the long-term cost effectiveness of high friction surfacing (HFS), according to key industry groups.

A road safety charity has called on the Government to increase the stopping distances in the Highway Code ‘as a matter of urgency’ after research showed that the average thinking time is more than double that set out in the Code.

The campaign group that has repeatedly defeated the Government in court over the adequacy of its plans to tackle air pollution has accused ministers of producing a ‘shabby rewrite’ of earlier plans.

Transport for London has yet to complete a programme to resurface large stretches of two Cycle Superhighways (CSH) that it found to be ‘deteriorating’ nearly a year ago, including a section where a motorcyclist had been killed.

Highways England has opened its first new-style high visibility emergency refuge area on an all lane running ‘smart motorway’ scheme.

Highways England has had the whole of the strategic road network rated for safety using the EuroRAP/iRAP star rating methodology.

Darren Divall of TRL told Transport Network about the organisation’s contribution to the Belize Road Safety Project, which was awarded a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its outstanding contribution to road safety.

Almost 200 people died on Scotland’s road last year after the number of fatalities rose by 14% on 2015 figures.

Transport for London (TfL) has said it is working with the police to minimise the impact of new security barriers on bridges in the capital after campaigners raised concern over their impact on cyclists.

Edinburgh City Council has pledged to review safety in the city’s main street following the death of a cyclist and criticism over the lack of segregated cycle lanes alongside tram tracks.

A leading independent transport practice is calling for more attention to be paid to motorcycling when roads are planned and designed.

Work to install average speed cameras on an 80km stretch of the A90 has begun.

A transport safety charity has called on all political parties to commit to an overhaul of road safety in the next Parliament, after the number of road deaths remained unchanged in statistical terms for five years.

New research has revealed that half of motorists do not know what emergency refuge areas (ERAs) on smart motorway all lane running schemes are.

The City of Cardiff Council is poised to almost double the number of junctions it will monitor for moving traffic offences (MTOs), following a fall in the number of tickets issued.

A charity has called on city leaders to prioritise making school walking routes safer as parents claim their cities are ‘too unsafe’ for children to walk to school in.

A blind woman has won a High Court ruling that a council breached its legal duty to take the needs of disabled people into account when it reduced kerb heights as part of a city centre redesign.

A group of MPs has warned that the justice system is failing to protect cyclists, resulting in ‘a feeling of lawlessness and aggression’ that deters people from taking to two wheels.

Transport analytics company INRIX has launched a new set of digital safety alerts that aim to use Big Data to improve road safety and help manage highway networks.

Vauxhall showed a reckless disregard for safety that needlessly put drivers and their families at risk when a series fires affected one of its most popular models, MPs have said.

Higher penalties for drivers caught speeding excessively have come into effect.

The increase in people walking and cycling and the growth of construction traffic could create a ‘perfect storm’ increase in people killed and seriously injured (KSIs) by lorries, a conference has been told.

The Local Government Technical Advisers Group and the Campaign for Better Transport argue that councils, not the Government, will have to deal with the dangers of longer lorries under an extended Government trial.

Infrastructure services company FM Conway has invested £11m in its vehicle fleet, with new vehicles designed to keep drivers and other road users safe.

The roll-out of 20mph zones in Manchester is being reconsidered after analysis found they were not reducing the number of accidents or driver speed as quickly as hoped.

Pilot error was the main cause of the deadly Shoreham A27 air crash but controls to protect the public, including those not attending the airshow, were ineffective, the final report into the disaster has found.

London's congestion charge has reduced traffic accidents by a third inside its zone and even resulted in ‘significant decreases’ in accidents in adjacent areas despite average speeds more than doubling, a new report has found.

Council chiefs have called for the drink drive limit in England and Wales to be lowered.

Drivers caught using mobile phones face tougher penalties from Wednesday (1 March), with both penalty points and fines doubled and new drivers potentially losing their licence for a single offence.

Ministers have announced new powers to deal with people who shine laser pens at pilots and train, taxi and bus drivers.

The number of people killed on the roads in Great Britain has risen again, with another statistically significant rise in serious casualties and a ‘truly shocking’ rise in the number of children killed or seriously injured.

An all lane running scheme on the M60 and M62 motorway is entering a new phase as Highways England installs a new concrete safety barrier using 7,000 tonnes of concrete.

Campaigners and highways experts have criticised the Government’s decision to expand and extend its controversial trial of longer lorries.

A new survey suggests the public are becoming more concerned about congestion, environmental and road safety issues – and more willing to change their own behaviour.

The Green Party has called for London mayor Sadiq Khan to bring forward his ban on dangerous ‘off road’ lorries.

To mark Road Safety Week, Mike Harper, director of Highways at Stirling Lloyd, argues for a return to the fundamentals with more High Friction Surfacing.

Police forces across the country have begun a new push on drivers’ mobile phone use after catching a record number of offenders in their last crackdown.

Croydon Council is to consult on plans to take 20mph zones borough-wide.

A council leader has admitted that a controversial shared space scheme in a Scottish town has not worked and said it may be removed – but it will have to be finished first.

Police chiefs and Highways England are looking at new measures to address a lack of driver understanding of smart motorways, including offering retraining instead of a ticket to people who commit offences.

London’s transport watchdog has called on the capital’s boroughs to follow Transport for London’s lead and take tougher action to clear pavements of unlawful obstructions.

Ministers have set out plans to allow learner drivers to take driving lessons on motorways before passing their test.

A local police initiative to tackle bad drivers in Camden has prompted calls for a London-wide roll-out.

Beleaguered transport secretary Chris Grayling has attracted more bad headlines after knocking a cyclist flying with the door of his ministerial car.

David Davies of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) says capital investment and resource spend are both important to cutting death and injury.

Ministers have tried to cool a row with MPs over the removal of hard shoulders on motorways after being accused of 'blatantly ignoring safety concerns'.

The transport secretary has announced further details of £1.3bn of additional funding for roads, including a £925m pot highways authorities can bid for.

Nick Newton, road safety engineer and member of the Institute of Highway Engineers Council, says we need an accreditation scheme for road safety professionals.

Supporting rail freight is a great way for the Government to reduce road deaths as HGVs are disproportionally involved in fatal road crashes because of their size and scale.

Ministers are promising a new crackdown on ‘exaggerated and fraudulent’ whiplash claims, with proposals that they say will allow insurance companies to cut premiums by up to £40 a year.

Ministers have offered West Sussex County Council up to £1m ‘to continue making safety improvements’ on what has been labelled England’s most persistently high-risk road.

With road deaths now 10 times greater than deaths in all workplaces added together, the road network needs the same systematic approach to measuring and managing risks as that taken by other industries, a road safety charity has said.

Police forces have begun a week-long crackdown following suggestions that they are not doing enough to tackle mobile phone use by drivers.

A council has banned ‘Scotland’s happiest lollipop man’ from dishing out high-fives to passing schoolchildren.

There was a 3% rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents in Britain in the year to June, including an increase of 30 in the number of fatalities during the year.

Scotland’s transport minister has pledged to go further to reduce road casualties after a large fall in the number of road deaths in the country last year and an all-time low number of total casualties.

Self-driving vehicles have been successfully trialled in public for the first time in Britain.

The two directors of GHA coaches, the Welsh bus company that went out of business in July, have been disqualified indefinitely from holding a public service vehicle operator's licence.

The chair of the Transport Select Committee has accused ministers of ‘blatantly ignoring safety concerns’ by launching new all lane running schemes, despite its recent call for a moratorium.

Researchers have suggested there could be a link between toxic air pollution and an increase in road accidents.

A road safety charity has called on ministers to provide better funding for traffic police after statistics showed fewer drivers are being stopped for using mobile phones while driving.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has proposed banning those ‘off-road’ lorries with the worst visibility from all roads in the capital by 2020, in an attempt to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Cycling campaigners have criticised the Department for Transport’s (DfT) new THINK! advertisement on cycle safety, with an Olympic cycling legend calling it ‘desperately misguided’.

Ministers have indicated that motorists who use handheld mobile phones while driving will face tougher penalties.

A leading transport safety group has called for action after publishing a report revealing that Britain has more vulnerable road user deaths per head of population than other high-performing European countries.

Animals getting in the way of transport are all over the news just now – from Prince Charles to the humble hedgehog. Here’s our top 5 animal obstacles

More drivers are admitting using mobile phones at the wheel, while motorists' top concern is the poor condition of local roads, the RAC has found.

Flintshire County Council officers are proposing to consolidate all the county’s speed limits into one Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), following difficulties implementing a review of limits dating back to 2009.

A trial using longer semi-trailers to transport goods between warehouses and depots has saved up to 10.6 million vehicle kilometres over four years, ministers have said.

Plans for Wales’ first shared space project at a major road junction are likely to be shelved this week amid uncertainty over new guidance.

Birmingham City Council has announced plans to set up a special charitable trust to support moves to make it safer, easier and more attractive for children to walk or cycle to and from school.

The Women and Equalities Committee has launched an inquiry into the accessibility of the built environment, including controversial shared space highways schemes.

New average speed enforcement cameras are now in operation across Birmingham and Solihull in an effort to cut road casualties - authorities insist they are not to raise cash... or as one member puts it: 'I am not Bob Geldof.'

The number of people killed on Britain’s roads rose slightly in the last year - this is the third consecutive annual rise and part of a 2% increase since last year in the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI casualties).

The Government is planning changes to the car driving test to bring it up to date with modern driving conditions, including following directions from a sat nav.

The mother of British Olympic cycling hero and safety campaigner Chris Boardman has died after a collision with a motorist while cycling in North Wales.

Highways England has called for an end to abuse and endangerment directed at road workers after a contractor was struck by a car in roadworks last week.

The parish council that has the honour of hosting the world famous Soulbury Stone has said it will let the matter of ‘unwelcome’ white lines rest for now but pledged that this is not the end of the matter.

Government-backed technology stimulator Innovate UK has tasked a PR consultancy with carrying out a first-stage study of public perceptions of autonomous vehicles.

A UK electronics engineering consultancy has demonstrated what it claims to be the world’s first viable 3D ‘black box’ that can reconstruct road crashes in fine detail.

The number of people killed on Britain’s roads fell by 2% last year, following a 4% rise in 2014, new Government statistics show.

Progress on road safety in the EU has come to a standstill, partly as a result of cuts to police enforcement of traffic offences, a Europe-wide body has said.

Councils leaders have warned of the dangers of flash floods to drivers and pedestrians, as well as home and business owners.

Hampshire County Council has cut ‘non-safety related traffic management schemes’ and invited smaller authorities to fund such projects themselves.

Westminster Council has announced plans to decommission its entire CCTV operation from 1 September this year unless a ‘responsible partner’ comes forward to help fund the system.

A Conservative peer and the chief executive of the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) have called for legislation to be strengthened to ensure that highways authorities carry out and publish road safety audits on shared space schemes.

A new statue of William Shakespeare remains in its creator’s yard after a highways authority raised concerns that its proposed location in the middle of a roundabout could distract motorists and get tourists run over.

An independent think tank has warned that driverless cars will need to undergo 'driving tests' to ensure they meet national highways rules.

Serious offences spark bizarre punishments while trivial transgressions could get you jailed. Here are five reports of transport crimes and punishments that may leave you scratching your head.

Ford has successfully tested a driverless car in the dark, using laser mapping technology instead of cameras to help it find the way.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has responded to concerns over new traffic sign regulations, which come into force on 22 April, calling the changes ‘common-sense reforms’ made in close consultation with councils.

Fresh from his recognition in the New Year's Honours, RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding discusses transport technology and its role in society.

The decline in numbers of specialist roads policing officers ‘must be halted’ to ensure better road safety, a group of influential MPs has said.

An influential group of MPs has backed one of the core transport asks of English local government - granting local authorities the power to enforce against moving traffic offences.

Highways England is considering seeking changes to legislation to reduce instances where motorists drive under red cross (Red X) signs on highway gantries, Transport Network has learned.

Drug drive arrests have increased by up to 800% after the government introduced tough new laws to catch and convict offenders, the Department for Transport has said.

The change from the Highways Agency to Highways England was ‘the big game changer’ in increasing the highways sector’s engagement with health and safety issues, the Road Safety Markings Association has told Transport Network.

Members of the public driving under red cross signs on gantries are a big safety issue for the workforce, highways bosses have been told.

Changing the behaviour of both people within the sector and road users is the key to improving health and safety on the highways network, industry bosses have been told.

Road deaths in the year ending September 2015 have increased by 3% compared with the previous year, provisional government figures suggest.

Operator safety and public awareness of vehicles working on the road networks is vital. Richard Smith, joint managing director of Blakedale Limited, discusses how the public and private sectors are working to improve standards.

Highways England plans will give drivers more information about speed limits on smart motorways, after concerns were raised they might be disregarded under the new system.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s cabinet has voted to support in principle a roll out of 20mph speed limits in residential areas with particular focus around schools.

Major new research suggests an ambivalence towards in-car technology and a lack of commercial incentive for manufacturers, with many in the public raising safety fears and citing a lack of improvement to the driving experience.

Durham County Council has announced plans to install a £2.5m SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) system that will improve traffic flow on the main route through Durham city.

London’s bus operators will this month become the first in the UK to subscribe to an independent confidential incident reporting system, originally set up for rail industry, in a bid to improve transport safety.

Worcestershire County Council's leader has said he will step down after being caught drink-driving before Christmas.

Mark Kemp, Oxfordshire County Council's deputy director for environment and economy, shares his thoughts on the nature of road safety management.

Award winning new research has virtually eliminated the need for road workers to make some 3.7 million live carriageway crossings a year to manoeuvre warning signs on central reservations.

Kingsway in Swansea has been the scene of tragic traffic incidents recently. After a coroner's ruling changes have been made but the council is reluctant to take down extra barriers.

Almost 4,600 miles of British roads have no mobile phone coverage, leaving drivers at risk of being stranded without help in the event of an accident, the RAC Foundation revealed today.

More changes to the national regulations governing street signs are planned for next year, with local authorities set to gain greater freedom over parking bays.

Witnesses tell MPs road safety is held back by a silo approach in Whitehall and a lack of targets for local roads.

The head of the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) has sent out a strong message to industry on the benefits of high friction surfacing (HFS).

Rural roads are the deadliest in the country with an average of three people dying on them every day last year, according to government figures released today.

Average speed camera enforcement on single-carriageway sections of the A9 has delivered up to 50% reductions in incidents of killed or seriously injured (KSI) road users since its installation in October 2014, Transport Scotland has claimed.

Sending warning letters to drivers found ignoring RedX 'lane barred' signs on motorways has cut offender levels by 12% in a pilot scheme, it has emerged.

Official statistics have shown a steep rise in road deaths in Scotland last year, with the final figures confirming a tragic 16% increase in fatalities with 200 people reported killed.

The most dangerous stretches of road in the country have been revealed in a new report that details the staggering impact of crashes, with the total cost of reported road accidents estimated to be roughly £14.7bn a year.

North of England-based parking rights campaigner turned transport innovator, Neil Herron, has beaten a speeding charge thanks to a vehicle safety device he happened to be trialling at the time of the incident.

The London Freight Enforcement Partnership was launched today to tackle unsafe lorries and take ‘non-compliant and unsafe commercial vehicles, drivers and operators’ off London's streets.

The City of Cardiff Council is ready to issue Penalty Charge Notices to drivers who stop illegally on yellow box junctions, making it the first council outside London to do so.

Edinburgh City Council is trialling a ban on motor traffic around several primary schools at the beginning and end of the school day, in a move that could lead to a city-wide ban.

A new system to protect highways teams at work access points has been successfully launched in the East Midlands and is now being deployed across the UK.

Work has started on the first leg of the largest transport project in Scotland’s history – the £3bn A9 Perth to Inverness dualling programme.

New 20mph speed limits could be imposed on nearly 80 roads in Plymouth, along with a range of other traffic calming and road safety measures.

London streets could be emptied of ‘clutter’ under new guidelines freeing boroughs from needing to gain permission for putting up signs and lights on private property.

Local authorities in Wales say they have been unable to complete speed limit reviews because the Welsh Government provided no funding for the work.

Transport for London (TfL) is facing a legal challenge from taxi drivers over disruption caused during construction of the Embankment Cycle Superhighway.

Bristol City Council will have to debate its controversial 20mph speed limits after a petition of almost 5,400 signatures branded them ‘ludicrous’.

Surveyor magazine’s groundbreaking event this September Highways Management: Smarter roads for the future has been approved for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation.

Two companies have joined together to make a breakthrough in road safety garments, creating a triple protection ‘glow in the dark’ technology that will be shown off the first time at Surveyor’s Highways Management conference in September.

Leading road materials firm Tarmac has announced trials of a new Econic concrete mixer designed to enhance the driver’s field of vision, particularly on busy urban roads.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has warned that when interpreting its quarterly results anything appearing 'statistically significant' should be 'regarded with some caution' and admits it has not yet modified the statistical tests to allow for this uncertainty.

Westminster City Council is set to launch a series of videos offering practical advice on cycle safety, as part of a campaign to boost the take up of the free safety courses the authority offers.

Passenger Focus recently became Transport Focus after being handed responsibility for representing users of the Strategic Road Network in England from 1 April this year. Transport Network spoke to chief executive Anthony Smith about making the transition to highways, his biggest fears, gamification and the importance of sticking to a plan.

Nine major road improvement sites have been given new look signs and road markings as Highways England trials different ways of making its roadworks clearer and safer.

The Government has revealed the wide-ranging action it is taking to support driverless cars, including international negotiations on regulations, behavioural tests on road users and new guidelines on legal responsibilities.

Local leaders and bosses from Manchester and Highways England have held the first meeting of a local strategy board to help define shared priorities for the region's key road network.

The Government could save more than 400 road traffic accident deaths and serious injuries a year by bringing in graduated driver learning (GDL) for young motorists, says road safety charity Brake.

Prime minister David Cameron has asked Department for Transport (DfT) officials to look into restricting lorries in inner-city areas to improve road safety.

New funding sources could be unlocked for transport if investment was linked to the impacts of improved road safety, a report claims.

There were 1,775 road deaths in Great Britain in 2014, an increase of 4% on 2013 but still the third-lowest year on record according to government figures.

Council chiefs have called for new powers to fine drivers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) that ignore weight or height restrictions on local roads, suggesting the cash could be put towards tackling the nation's £12bn pothole backlog.

As many as four in ten motorists find mechanical failures in their second-hand cars after purchase, a new survey has suggested.

A driver has been fined close to £1,000 and given five penalty points on their license after becoming the first person to be convicted in court of hogging the middle lane of the motorway.

Our cartoonist takes a look into the future with this story about how drunk drivers could be stopped with a new ‘touch test’ technology that disables cars.

Campaigners have called for action after the number of people killed on Scotland’s roads increased for the first time in the eight years.

Jaguar Land Rover has revealed it has produced an off-road vehicle that can be remote controlled using a smartphone.

Transport for London (TfL) has already met its year-2020 target to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSIs) on roads by 40% and has now raised the bar even higher.

A new repair service to extend the life of Variable Message Signs (VMS) has been launched by Swarco, with one local authority already working with the company on up to 40 signs.

An innovative research project could soon see cars sharing real-time data on potholes with other drivers and councils, potentially slashing local authority costs.

Northern Ireland saw a 30% increase in road deaths last year after maintenance budgets were slashed the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) has said, as it warned driver safety was being ‘fatally compromised’.

A leading road safety charity has expressed concerns over major delays to a speed reduction programme in Flintshire CC, which is at least six months late already with the vast majority of interventions still to be delivered.

Taxi drivers in Hampshire could soon face English language tests as part of council efforts to raise service quality and safety.

A woman who died after a collision on a Wiltshire road last year where street lighting had been switched off would have been ‘impossible’ to see, a coroner has ruled.

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has reiterated calls for lorries to be banned at rush hour in London to protect cyclists.

The Office of Rail and Road – a new watchdog formed out of the Office of Rail Regulation today – has launched a consultation on its plans for monitoring the performance of Highways England.

Cycle campaigners have convinced Glasgow City Council to consider launching 20mph limits across the region without introducing traffic calming measures.

A policing computer system tipped to redefine how safety improvements are made to roads has begun its rollout across England and Wales.

More than 40% (185,457) of all motorway and A road closures in England last year were caused by vehicle breakdowns, with planned road works second on 14% (61,587), it has emerged.

All new cars and light vans across the UK and EU must come fitted with an 'eCall' automatic emergency alert system from April 2018, the European Parliament decreed this week.

Councils could be left at the mercy of the courts if they seek to take of advantage of the Government's plans to radically reform traffic signage, an industry insider has warned.

Matt Winfield, London deputy director of leading sustainable transport charity Sustrans, gives our readers the lay of the land on cycling design.

Our cartoonist Rhiannon Rees reacts to what is probably our favourite story of the year so far: Don the collie gets put in the dog-house after a ruff ride on his owner's tractor.

If Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) arrived on the scene today they would be banned from urban roads due to the danger they pose to vulnerable road users like cyclists as a result of their ‘enormous’ blind spots, a professor of transport has claimed.

An investigation is under way following the suspension of a lollipop man who allegedly stopped a fire engine on the way to an emergency call and had to be escorted off the road.

A new technique for 20mph zone marking combined with traffic calming measures will be showcased at Traffex this week.

Representatives from transport infrastructure specialists, Colas, have hailed the ‘major advances’ in road worker safety that will be on display at Traffex this week.

Visitors at Traffex 2015 next week at the NEC in Birmingham will have the chance to be driven in a fully autonomous vehicle, as part of the variety of activities and demonstrations on offer.

Europe’s largest traffic management and parking exhibition, Traffex, is set for a record year in Birmingham next week with more companies than ever taking part.

Swansea CC has agreed to modify one of its roads after a spate of incidents including two fatalities prompted criticism from a coroner.

Almost two thirds of the 10,000 vans stopped by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) at the roadside each year have a serious mechanical defect, according to a leading trade body.

Motorists are still confused about smart motorways 12 months after their introduction to England, road safety experts fear.

Potholes and general road maintenance are bigger issues for the majority of motorists than safety concerns, a new survey has suggested.

A coroner has urged a local authority to correct what he suggests is a ‘serious design issue’ in a street where two adult pedestrians have died in the past 18 months.

Newcastle University is pioneering new technology designed to enable traffic lights to send status information to in-vehicle devices, helping motorists drive more safely and efficiently.

A council has stood by its road inspection programme after paying out a six-figure settlement to the widow of a cyclist killed after a hitting a pothole.

Bill Taylor, managing director at Ringway, is clear on where progress must be made in the transport sector.

Paralympic champion and anti-shared space campaigner, Lord Holmes, has launched a survey to find out more about attitudes to the controversial public realm design.

An outer London council is poised to introduce borough-wide 20mph limits after cabinet members green lit proposals last night.

Speed limits at sites across London will fall to 20mph under a new pilot programme launched by mayor Boris Johnson.

The Government has announced plans to tackle the high rate of motorcycle casualties, calling for suggestions on ‘long-term’ solutions.

MPs have demanded a new motoring strategy be launched to match the growing momentum behind driverless vehicles and automotive technology.

Fewer traffic lights and parking spaces, less congestion and more shared space schemes could be among the local impacts of driverless cars according to one senior member of a British consortium trialling the new technology.

The Coalition Government has rejected calls for a diesel vehicle tax to combat pollution but will consider implementing a national network of low emission zones, it has emerged.

New research by transport experts TRL shows almost half a million motorists used mobile phones while driving in 2014, with men, van drivers and young drivers the worst offenders.

A list of London’s most dangerous junctions for cyclists has prompted fears that efforts to improve safety could ‘fall short’ of what is needed.

Council leaders are under pressure to make Oxford Road in the heart of Manchester a ‘no car’ zone as they implement the city’s first Dutch-style segregated cycle lanes in March this year.

Vale of Glamorgan Council is challenging the Welsh Government to reverse the effects of reduced road-safety funding during the period of the next National Transport Plan.

To mark Road Safety Week, Julian Bell, chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, talks about the excellent progress made on safety in the capital.

Hackney LBC has announced plans to roll out 20mph restrictions across its main road network later this year in a bid to reduce casualties by 10%.

Local councils in Shropshire have called for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) to be diverted from three town and village centres in their area due to concerns over congestion and damage to property and pavements.

Labour has redrawn its battle lines over the nationalisation of the railways, with shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher taking a more bullish stance than ever.

Scotland’s transport minister Derek Mackay has suggested a roll out of average speed cameras across the devolved nation could be on the cards following the success of a scheme on the A9.

The mayor and Transport for London have unveiled plans to build an 11km backstreet Cycle Superhighway between White Hart Lane in Tottenham, Stoke Newington, Dalston and the City of London - acting as an A10 bypass.

A three-fold increase in road fatalities in London has seen hundreds of officers from Scotland Yard take to the streets to re-launch its highways safety scheme.

Calls have been raised for ‘urgent’ action to improve road safety after figures revealed the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI) rose by almost a tenth last year.

Norfolk CC has launched a unique scheme to tackle drivers using their mobile phones while on the road.

Lorries without safety equipment will be banned from London from September under the first such scheme in Britain.

Leading road safety campaign group the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has appointed Sarah Sillars OBE, as its new chief executive officer (CEO), who has vowed to change opinions, driving habits and legislation.

Integrating separate services and funding pots under a single road safety strategy has been key to Walsall Council’s success in roughly halving road casualties in the last five years, according to the council’s traffic safety chief.

Cities across Scotland are being urged to introduce 20mph zones, as Edinburgh and Glasgow make historic progress on lowering local limits.

Roads must be adapted to cope with rising numbers of elderly drivers and young people educated more effectively if safety is to improve, a charity claims.

Transport for London (TfL) has won ITS (intelligent transportation systems) industry support for its new technical specification for a management information base (MIB) covering remote monitoring of traffic control equipment.

The Highways Agency has been issued with the equivalent of a criminal prosecution after the death of a traffic officer.

The UK’s leading traffic and parking exhibition this year features a new section simulating a live public highway to help delegates explore the latest technology and design developments, Transport Network can reveal.

Edinburgh City Council is set to complete the largest 20mph roll out ever seen in Scotland, while the Scottish Government has released new guidance on implementing 20mph zones in a bid to boost their uptake.

New research has suggested controversial decisions by councils to turn off streetlights could be severely hampering road safety efforts.

The Government has revealed it will amend legislation to increase the speed limit for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) from 50mph to 60mph for lorries over 7.5 tonnes on dual carriageway roads.

Road Safety Week (17 Nov- 23 Nov) this year is under the theme ‘Look out for each other’, as organisers reveal that two fixed penalties for 'careless driving' or speeding are issued every minute on average.

A new safety scheme to protect road workers operating on scaffolding above active traffic lanes has been launched on a smart motorway scheme on the M62 and M1.

Local authorities will be given much more flexibility over traffic signage next year after Government plans for an overhaul of key legislation were given a positive response from the sector.

ITS equipment manufacturers are invited to contribute their views to a new scoping study of possible technological solutions to the problem of tailgating.

A new report has highlighted a major connection between simple highways infrastructure improvements and safety, finding an 80% reduction in the number of people killed or serious injured (KSIs) on 15 stretches of road after a series of low-cost interventions.

Drivers in autonomous vehicles are likely to be held responsible for accidents if they were in a position to intervene, an insurance expert has warned.

Transport Scotland has confirmed a 10% fall in the number of people killed and injured on the roads last year, resulting in the lowest levels since records began in began in 1950.

Hauliers have welcomed the trial of an increased speed limit from 40 to 50mph on the single carriageway sections of the A9 in Scotland between Perth and Inverness from Tuesday 28 October.

Three people die each day on rural roads on average - nearly 11 times higher than on motorways - the Government has revealed as it launches a major campaign to warn drivers of the dangers of country highways.

Islington has urged Transport for London (TfL) to deploy 20mph limits on local roads, as the borough becomes the capital’s first to enforce lower restrictions.

A leading road safety group has announced it is launching a study into the concerns of older drivers amid fears they could be ‘prisoners in their own homes’ due to difficult road conditions.

UK experience will not be represented in a Europe-wide initiative designed to make highway workzones safer.

The road safety industry is pressing the Department for Transport (DfT) to approve for public use a new type of pedestrian crossing that is currently restricted to private locations.

Groundbreaking cycle safety technology being trialled on lorries in Ealing is thought to have helped avoid 15 potentially serious collisions in six months.

A wide-reaching upgrade to London's road safety camera network is now underway, with hundreds of 'wet film' devices due to be replaced with digital alternatives.

Detailed plans for two of Europe’s longest 'substantially-segregated urban cycleways' have been unveiled by Transport for London (TfL), as part of a £913m road safety effort.

Almost half of Manchester could soon have 20mph limits under the latest plans put forward by the city council.

The decision by Manchester City Council to roll out 20mph speed limits on its non-major roads beggars the question – are our existing limits too high? The answer in my view is a definite ‘yes.’

A 20mph speed limit could soon be introduced across much of Edinburgh, as council plans are put out to public consultation.

A new survey shows 60% admit they would answer their mobile or send a text while driving in traffic.

Leading transport analysts have finalised new standards for the communication and use of air and noise pollution data in traffic solutions.

Wandsworth and Transport for London (TfL) have begun work on London's first fully segregated ‘cycle’ roundabout.

Brighton and Hove City Council is hoping to expand its 20mph speed limits across a wide swathe of extra roads after seeing consistent positive results from phase one of the project.

139mph in a 60mph area - new figures reveal the worst recorded cases of speeding offences in Scotland.

Around a third of Manchester’s roads are set to become 20mph zones from Monday next week, with 111 miles across 1,100 streets covered by the permanent restrictions.

Scotland achieved its lowest number of road casualties last year according to figures released this week, as congestion also fell to its lowest level since 1999.

Two thirds of British adults believe technology should be fitted to commercial and public transport vehicles to prevent them breaking the speed limit, a new survey has revealed.

In the second of Transport Network's A - Z series, Findlay Irvine take us through everything you need to know about skid resistance.

Nottinghamshire, Tower Hamlets and Chester and Chester West are the best local authority areas for tackling the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSIs) on the roads last year, new research suggests.

Transport for London (TfL) and boroughs group London Councils today launched a consultation on a joint Safer Lorry Scheme aimed at protecting vulnerable road users from accidents involving HGVs.

London and other regions are understood to be looking at ways to curb emissions from diesel cars, including introducing extra charges, in efforts to comply with clean air rules from Europe.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is set to raise the speed limit for lorries on single carriageways from 40 to 50mph next year, in a controversial move that Whitehall’s transport analysts believe could provide an £11m boost to the industry.

Drivers should slow down on country roads to avoid accidents with vulnerable road users road safety charity Brake has urged after one in three drivers admit to driving too fast in rural areas.

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University are designing a ‘smart’ driver seat that can detect nodding off and trigger a ‘pull over’ warning.

The Welsh Assembly’s environment committee has raised serious concerns about the Welsh Government's decision to build a £1bn M4 relief road around Newport, it has emerged.

The Government has launched a consultation on the ‘practicalities’ behind banning anyone from smoking or allowing others to smoke in a car that is carrying children.

With the Commonwealth Games starting next week, the level of support for stranded motorists in Glasgow and the wider Central Belt has been increased to cover the extra demand.

Oxford Street has the highest levels of toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions anywhere in the world, according to a new report.

Cost-savings from councils turning off streetlights are being paid for with lives, the president of the AA has suggested.

The latest official figures show road deaths decreased by 2% last year compared to 2012, reaching the lowest figure since national records began in 1926 at 1,713.

Council directors are set to help ‘fill the void’ left by the Department for Transport (DfT) when it ends its management of the national specifications for traffic systems and equipment in 2015, Transport Network can reveal.

Too many young people are being killed or injured in ‘preventable’ accidents on England’s roads despite continuing improvements, health leaders have warned.

Staged car accidents set up by fraudsters in order make personal injury insurance claims rose by more than 50% last year, according to a leading insurer.

Roads minister Stephen Hammond has announced plans to introduce on-the-spot fines for foreign truck drivers who put lives at risk by driving tired.

Significant reforms to Sheffield’s winter maintenance service could see preventative gritting routes slashed across the region by more than 100 miles of road.

South Gloucestershire Council is selling unused speed cameras to the local police for a ‘nominal sum’ that could be as low as £1 a camera.

The Scottish Government has announced a further £6m will be invested in the A83 in Argyll and Bute to mitigate the effects of landslides.

Transport for London (TfL) has celebrated cutting the number of people killed and seriously injured (KSI) on the capital’s roads by 23% in 2013 to reach the lowest levels since records began.

Manchester City Council has pledged to make improvements after a coroner court was told 'incorrectly placed' speed signage caused the death of a cyclist at a pedestrian crossing.

EU transport ministers have put the brakes on new rules for safer lorries that would protect vulnerable road users such as cyclists and save an estimated 300-500 lives a year.

With a UK Road Safety Week starting today, here is a blog courtesy of the Clearview Traffic Group to remind us all of the dangers, trials and tribulations of working on the roads as an engineer.

Active road studs could be used as a warning system in advance of level crossings on roads, after Network Rail approved the use of an entry-level unit this week.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey is seen by many as the national benchmark for highway maintenance performance in the UK. Its chairman Alan Mackenzie talks to Dominic Browne about the need to push for a long-term approach to highways maintenance.

Hounslow Highways is installing new LED street lights in the top 60 crime hotspots in the borough, as part of a joint initiative with local police.

Emergency services personnel have warned the growing use of cameras to penalise moving traffic offences is making drivers reluctant to move aside for emergency vehicles, potentially increasing response times.

The Automobile Association (AA) has called for local authorities to consult residents before imposing 20mph zones, following a poll suggesting the majority of people want a say.

It has been ten years since the introduction of advice in TA89/04 issued by the UK Highways Agency on the use of Passively Safe roadside furniture.

Nottinghamshire CC has installed an average speed enforcement scheme on the A614 in a bid to match an 80% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured seen elsewhere in the county.

More than 40% of parents have seen their child almost hit by a car on the school run, according to new figures from leading transport charity Sustrans.

Council chiefs are up in arms over planned changes to minicab licensing rules, which they claim would make it ‘impossible’ to properly check if cab drivers are safe behind the wheel.

Transport planners should develop road designs that reflect the way in which people are taught to cycle according to sustainable transport charity Sustrans, which has released a Handbook for Cycle-Friendly Design.

The European Parliament has approved new rules to make the design of freight lorries safer for cyclists by reducing major blind spots.

London's roads are getting safer but we are not complacent

After suffering a withering condemnation from MPs over its safety record on level crossings, Network Rail suggested the UK cannot afford to eliminate accidents at these locations but refused to rule out awarding its bosses bonuses.

The Highways Agency has announced a red X traffic control will be employed for its latest smart motorways scheme on the M25, commanding motorists to not drive in a motorway lane where the sign is displayed.

Central London’s Square Mile will become a 20mph zone in July after the City of London Corporation’s transport committee voted to implement the speed restriction this week.

On average three pedestrians a day were killed or seriously injured (KSI) on London’s roads in 2012, according to a report from the London Assembly transport committee.

A motorist who campaigned against a £65 traffic fine and in doing so could have costs councils millions of pounds in overturned moving traffic violations has lost his case.

Road safety campaigners are calling on councils to roll out more 20mph speed limits after a new survey reveals eight in 10 people support slower limits.

A levy on foreign truck firms using UK roads came into force this week and has been welcomed as ‘good news’ for British freight operators.

Groundbreaking detection technology trials have been unveiled as part of Transport for London’s (TfL) draft Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.

Transport Network finds some of most ludicrous ways people choose to distract themselves while driving.

Volvo has announced a step forward in the driverless car market, with an approach that seeks to adjust both the cars that we drive and the roads that we drive on.

Transport MEPs have voted to support truck design reforms, which could see vehicles becoming greener and safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Scotland’s transport minister Keith Brown today announced the Scottish Government intends to legislate to ensure seatbelts are provided on all dedicated school transport.

Almost half of all road markings in England are in need of urgent or scheduled replacement, new research claims.

The widow of a cyclist who died after hitting a road defect on his bike, plans to sue North Yorkshire CC it has emerged.

Local government minister Brandon Lewis has sparked fresh controversy in the ongoing war of words between councils and the DCLG over parking enforcement, accusing local authorities of using ‘Stasi surveillance’ to boost parking fine revenue.

Transport Network can exclusively reveal proposed changes to level crossings that influential MPs have recommended become standard practice.

Road safety markings in Wales and Scotland have fallen ‘well below’ UK standards, with a majority requiring replacement, a survey has concluded.

A coroner in North Yorkshire has told an inquest there was ‘no doubt’ poor road conditions caused the death of a cyclist, prompting anger at the council from the deceased’s family.

Does an online tool published earlier this year represent the future of analysing road safety for local authorities? James Evison reports.

Proposals in Transport for London’s (TfL) landmark health action plan have been labelled ‘worthless’ by a senior environmental figure at the London Assembly.

Transport for London (TfL) has identified 33 of London’s most notorious road junctions to be the subjects of a £300m cycle-safety transformation programme, to be completed by 2016.

A decision by Dorset CC to remove trees from land above a tunnel meant a landslide that resulted in the death of a couple was an accident ‘waiting to happen’, a coroner’s inquest has heard.

Roads safety campaigners have called on the Department for Transport (DfT) to end its ‘needlessly stringent' signage rules ahead of an expected public consultation on the issue, claiming the regulations are a barrier to 20mph zones.

Roads minister Robert Goodwill has raised expectations that councils across England could be given powers over enforcing moving traffic violations, suggesting he is only waiting for positive feedback from Transport for London.

Cyclists could be better protected if councils were granted stronger powers to target dangerous drivers, council leaders have said.

The M2 has been closed in both directions near Sittingbourne in Kent after a large hole opened up in the central reservation’ the Highways Agency has revealed.

Cardiff looks set to be the first UK local authority outside of London to have the power to punish moving traffic violations such as making banned turns.

Lorries without safety equipment to protect the lives of cyclists and pedestrians will be banned from London by the end of the year.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has raised ‘deep concerns’ that Westminster is blocking his campaign to persuade the European Union to introduce new rules to make lorries safer for cyclists.

East Lothian Council in Scotland has banned vehicles in roads around a primary school during 'school run' times.

The UK’s first low level traffic signals specifically designed to help cycle safety have been installed at the notorious Bow Roundabout in East London, where three cyclists have been killed in two years.

Road safety campaigners have slammed the opening of a pub at a motorway service station, claiming it is ‘at odds’ with public opinion.

Plans for the wide-scale introduction of 20mph speed limits in Peterborough have moved a step closer with the recommendation of a pilot scheme in villages surrounding the city.

More than 14,000 motorists and cyclists in London have been hit with fixed penalty notices over a two-month period in a road safety blitz following a spate of cycling deaths.

Cycle safety in London could receive a boost in the New Year after ministers approved the first UK road trials of eye-level traffic lights from January.

A new industry-led standard for construction vehicles has been launched by London mayor Boris Johnson in an effort to reduce cyclist casualties on the capital’s roads.

A violent storm has battered the UK leaving at least two dead, closing rail services across Scotland and hitting swathes of coastline with a tidal surge that forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

Cambridgeshire CC has been given the chance to trial a new traffic light system that could help save cyclists lives by giving them a head start at junctions.

Travel chaos has hit the north of the UK as Transport Scotland has escalated its travel warning to stage four red.

Scotland has been hit by 100mph winds as large parts of the UK face massive travel disruption and the Environment Agency warns of a significant coastal flooding.

Operators of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) should sign-up to a voluntary safety improvement charter - or risk legislation after the next election - Labour shadow transport secretary, Mary Creagh has said.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has agreed with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) to reject extra EU regulations on identifying a professional driver's training needs.

By 2025 at least half of road vehicles will be capable of ‘reading’ road signs and markings, according to a new report.

Controversial former UK independence party (UKIP) MEP Godfrey Bloom he been unveiled as the executive patron of motoring group the Drivers Union.

Switched off street lights in Warwickshire contributed to the death of a student, a coroner has concluded.

A survey of more than 1,000 motorists has revealed more than a quarter of UK drivers have been involved in a road accident, with 22.6% admitting it was their own fault.

The metropolitan police have launched a major road safety operation involving 2,500 officers on London streets during rush hour, following six cyclist deaths in the last two weeks.

With six cyclists killed on London’s roads in just two weeks, road safety is very much in the headlines. Ending the Government’s acquiescence to the road haulage industry is an important first step in keeping all road users safe.

Two charges have been brought against a woman who knocked a cyclist off his bike in Norfolk – and then wrote about the incident on social media site Twitter.

Charities have called for longer green man crossing times on UK roads, after research suggests three-quarters of over 65s struggle to cross the road at signalised crossings.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is under pressure to ban all large lorries from London’s rush hour times after a sixth cyclist died in two weeks in the capital – the 14th to die this year and the ninth to be hit by a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV).

As new figures show half a million UK drivers have points on their licence for multi-tasking at the wheel, road safety charity Brake has launched a national campaign to crack down on driver distractions to launch national road safety week.

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh has stated cycling safety will be a priority for Labour’s 2015 manifesto plans, vowing to try and bring it into the ‘mainstream of transport planning’.

Campaigners have welcomed the decision by the Highways Agency that the expansion of the M60 to include active 'smart motorway' lanes would be too damaging to public health.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has caused outrage by accusing cyclists of taking ‘decisions that put their lives in danger’, in the wake of the death of five cyclists in nine days in the capital.

The London Assembly has made a plea for mayor Boris Johnson to act after five cyclists have been killed in nine days in the capital.

Swedish designers have created a bike helmet that operates like an airbag and can even stop a cyclist messing up their hair.

Business driver hours and workloads should be carefully monitored and employers must keep a close eye on activity, deputy traffic commissioner Elizabeth Perrett has warned.

The Highways Agency has unveiled plans to bring smart motorways – formally known as managed motorways – to Greater Manchester, creating an extra lane in busy sections of the M62.

A £28m sea defence scheme has been unveiled along the south coast in West Sussex, providing communities with improved flood protection along its key 7km stretch.

Wigan BC has responded to the first signs of winter weather this year, sending out ten gritting vehicles to carry our precautionary treatments as temperatures fell below freezing in the borough for the first time this winter.

Transport for London (TfL) recorded a 2% reduction in road collisions and casualties last year, with fatalities falling by 16% (159 to 134), to the second lowest level since recent records began.

Transport for London (TfL) has launched four road safety campaigns this week in a bid to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 40% by 2020.

The Met Office has warned the most powerful storms seen in years could descend on Britain next week, hitting parts of England with gales of up to 80mph just in time for half-term.

Drivers are seven times more likely to have a collision on an A-road than on a motorway, according to new figures.

MPs have completely ignored the difficulties caused by vehicles parked on pavements causing obstructions for blind and partially sighted people, according to the charity Guide Dogs.

Liverpool City Council has launched a controversial nine-month experiment to suspend the operation of all bus lanes in the city.

Transport campaigners have called on ministers to take drastic action to tackle the dangers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) after new research suggests lorries are involved in an increasing percentage of fatal road accidents in the UK.

More than 70% of motorists don’t want the clocks to go back this Sunday and 60% believe there would be fewer deaths on British roads if the system were abolished, according to a new survey.

The Government has launched a national cycle safety campaign after seeing its success in London, road safety minister Robert Goodwill has announced.

All of Hartlepool’s street lights are to be replaced with new LED lights at a cost of £5m.

The Labour Party together with leading transport experts have called on the Government to scrap its trial of longer freight lorries on safety and sustainability grounds.

Residents in Birmingham are being offered the opportunity to give an opinion on the introduction of 20mph speed limits on the city’s roads.

Ministers are considering tough new measures to reduce road accidents among novice drivers including banning them from using all mobile phones, including hands-free sets, or driving between 10pm and 5am unless accompanied by someone over 30.

Wandsworth Council has repaired more than 6,500 potholes in the last seven months, as part of an extensive highways repair project that is close to its end.

A new code of practice has been released by the Department for Transport to ensure the correct safety procedures during highways works.

English motorways see more than 15,000 'tyre-related' breakdowns every year the Highways Agency has revealed as part of its support for Tyre Safety Month in October.

Leading infrastructure company FM Conway has adapted its entire fleet to ensure all vehicles have the latest safety measures to provide further protection for vulnerable road users.

Latest figures have shown an increase in the number of cyclists being killed on roads in the UK year-on-year, according to data from the Department for Transport.

The UK's largest transport authority Birmingham City Council has announced plans to invest £7m in converting '90% of its roads to a 20mph speed limit'.

A new internet-based app which enables drivers to carry out vehicle walk-around checks with the aid of an electronic device has been launched by the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

Leicester City Council has developed an eccentric method of improving road safety outside one of its schools by creating bollards painted to look like young children.

The City of London has voted to impose an area-wide 20mph speed limit in a move which aims to improve safety and quality of life across the square mile.

Is it better to take a no tolerance approach to driving bans or is leniency important given some people’s circumstances?

More than 130 vehicles collided in with each other in thick fog in Kent yesterday morning, resulting in eight people suffering serious injuries but miraculously no fatalities.

A major emergency incident operation is underway on the A249 Sheppey crossing following a large-scale collision of vehicles, with some reports suggesting as many as 100 vehicles are involved.

Camden LBC is using a new scheme involving plant boxes on a busy highway to help cyclist and car segregation, in what is thought to be a UK first.

The Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) have announced major plans to improve cycle safety in London including a crackdown on dangerous Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers.

Scottish transport minister Keith Brown will meet with church leaders this week following their demands for urgent action to improve the safety of one of Scotland’s most dangerous roads.

More than six in 10 drivers admit to driving over the speed limit, despite most drivers agreeing streets need to be safer for children, according to a new survey.

New research has highlighted worrying levels of road accidents in the vicinity of schools, with nearly 1,200 children a month involved in collisions within 500 metres of school gates.

Cycle safety will be a central theme of this year’s this year’s Freight Transport Association’s transport (FTA) manager conference.

Kent CC has begun preparations for winter with the storage of 19,000 tonnes of salt in depots across the county - and more deliveries coming.

A quarter of parents do not know the law on child seats and one in six do not use such products until the recommended height, research has revealed.

National guidelines are crucial when implementing fixed penalties for careless driving offences, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA) - to avoid a 'postcode lottery' of fines.

Drivers could be caught out by a range of new motoring offences and increased fines from midnight tonight as part of changes announced by Department for Transport (DfT).

Hundreds of thousands of minor road traffic offences could be removed from the magistrate court process under plans announced by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) today.

Bus and coach drivers with acquired rights are being warned they only have a month to finish their training or risk losing their licence.

The number of road collisions in the Bolton area has caused the cabinet member for transport to write to Greater Manchester’s police and crime commissioner demanding action.

One in 20 adults was involved in a road accident in 2012, according to road safety charity, Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Brighton and Hove City Council has announced plans to extend its 20mph speed limit across most of the city following a consultation due to begin this month.

Almost half of Londoners would cycle more often if improvements were made to road safety, according to a survey.

Provisional estimates from the Department for Transport show the number of deaths in road accidents has fallen by 10% in the year ending March 2013, with reported child casualties (ages 0-15) falling by 14%.

A half a million pound Scottish government road safety campaign to improve relationships between different transport users has been criticised as ‘words rather than actions’.

The hottest July in seven years gave way to torrential rain and flooding across parts of the UK this weekend, closing roads in city centres in the Midlands and the North East.

Rural roads in some of the most affluent parts of the country saw the highest number of hit-and-run crimes last year, with figures almost three times the national average.

A new road safety initiative supported by an alliance of emergency service officers could prevent nearly half of all road traffic fatalities - saving almost 1000 lives a year - according to experts.

The Government's new command paper on roads has been welcomed and criticised in equal measure by the transport industry following the announcement of £28bn of highways investment.

Driver training should be reformed in order to bring down the alarming number of accidents and fatalities in the 17-24 age group, the RAC Foundation has reported.

As fears rise over cyclist safety, leading signage expert Rennicks blogs for Transport Network on one of their solutions to the difficulties of night time riding.

Dangerous and intoxicated drivers could become more of a threat due to significant cuts in UK traffic police numbers, with some areas seeing officer numbers fall by nearly 50%, a road safety charity has warned.

Plans to introduce stricter rules on the prosecution of those caught drug-driving have been released by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Motorbike fatalities in Somerset are ‘ up significantly on this time last year’ the county council has warned as part of a drive to encourage drivers to take extra care on the roads this summer.

Fears over road safety are stopping the majority of non-cyclists from using a bike, findings from a government survey suggest.

A traffic-calming measure that cost more than £130,000 and caused multiple accidents in Islington has been ripped out after the town hall admitted it was wrong to install it.

The number of people killed in road accidents has fallen to its lowest level since national records began, a report suggests.

Motorists are set to benefit from streamlined regulatory services, ministers announced today, as driving tests and goods vehicle testing will soon be provided by a single agency.

Ministers must take action to stop Britain being ‘the whiplash capital of the world’ as the 1,500 daily claims add some £90 to every motor insurance policy in Britain, insurers warned.

Local authority road safety schemes funded through a cash surplus from Speed Awareness Courses (SACs) are in doubt, after the Welsh Government effectively seized most of the funds.

Highways and transportation professionals celebrated the best of this year’s outstanding achievements last night at the annual Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) awards.

The reliability of journeys on motorways and ‘A’ roads managed by the Highways Agency increased in the year ending April 2013, official statistics revealed today.

The Institution of Civil Engineers is urging England to copy Wales’ Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI), which is providing £170m over three years for highway repairs.

Major plans to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on London roads have been released by Transport for London (TfL).

Motorway tailgaters and middle-lane hoggers will face on-the-spot fixed penalties of £100 under new measures announced by the Government.

Local transport minister Norman Baker has slammed the road safety situation on the A120 as ‘not acceptable’ - stating it was regrettable improvements last year have not been successful.

A £60m repair deal to strengthen the Hammersmith Flyover has been given to contractor Costain by Transport for London (TfL).

Motorists are particularly vulnerable to certain accidents depending on where they live, from dangerous lamp posts in Scotland to treacherous trees in the Home Counties, new research claims.

Local authorities should urge ministers to change signage rules to help reduce the cost of imposing 20mph speed limits, a leading road safety campaign group has claimed.

It would cost local authorities £3 per head to introduce wide area 20pmh speed limits, according to campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us.

Plans outlined by the Department for Transport to improve young driver safety have been supported by the demographic group, research has revealed.

A new online resource to help teachers plan road safety lessons for schoolchildren has been launched today by road safety minister, Stephen Hammond.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) has claimed the UK should invest more in infrastructure for growth.

Reform of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) should focus on economic growth and introduce financial certainty to the sector if it is to be successful, according to the British Property Federation (BPF).

The World Health Organisation has endorsed the effectiveness of area-wide 20mph speed limits in its latest road safety manual.

Minor traffic offences are to be dealt with in special courts to speed up the justice system and free up more time for investigating serious cases.

Transport Network is much obliged to John Lee, BSc CEng MICE MCIHT, for this letter on what the UK can learn from the German capital, Berlin, on road safety. Mr Lee has previously worked for Transport for London (2001-until 2012) in the cycling team, leading on infrastructure, design guidance and infrastructure research.

UKIP councillors at East Sussex CC have called on officers to use miles not kilometres in documentation and signage in a bid ‘to continue being English’.

Concern has been raised by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Road Haulage Association (RHA) about recent Department for Transport (DfT) advice on annual statutory tests for garage technicians and mechanics driving HGVs.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced a crackdown on drivers using their mobile phones behind the wheel and outlined plans to increase fines for the offence.

With the second annual UN road safety week (6-12 May) underway, James Evison takes a look at how 20mph road safety policies are progressing in the UK.

Plans for a cycle superhighway linking Bradford with Leeds and Continental-style segregated bike lanes across Manchester featured in bids made to the Government’s cycle city ambition fund.

The top road safety priority for local government is improving road surfaces and reducing potholes, according to a new survey.

David Cameron has supported a parliamentary report aimed at boosting cycling rates to achieve a 10% share of UK journeys by 2025, and suggested local authorities must take the lead.

The TMS consultancy this week announced it has issued its 100th road safety audit certificate of competency.

At least £600m a year should be dedicated to boosting cycling rates in Britain to achieve a 10% share of journeys by 2025, a group of MPs and peers said today.

The lives of cyclists could be saved by a ground-breaking satnav programmed to alert lorry drivers to the risk of collisions, its developers claimed today.

The Highways Agency has defended its controversial policy to allow traffic to use the hard shoulder on busy stretches of motorway, as it pushes ahead with efforts to reduce congestion on the strategic road network.

Parking is intrinsic to a successful town centre and digital technology can revolutionise how it is paid for, according to Guy Douglas of the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM).

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced plans to radically overhaul the central legislation governing traffic sign design and use, with a revised version of the law planned for March 2015.

All the news from day one of Traffex,the 26th international traffic engineering, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), road safety, parking and highway maintenance exhibition.

James Evison takes a look at how far the responsibility for pothole damage to cars should rest with the manufacturers.

Leading Japanese car manufacturers are re-calling 3.4 million cars worldwide – including 152,000 from British roads –due to possible problems with passenger airbags.

The first of a new range of national traffic signs will be launched at this year’s Traffex event at Birmingham NEC on 16 to 18 April.

Worcestershire CC, Halcrow and Ringway worked together to develop a new approach to delivering small routine highway schemes more efficiently. Max Wiltshire reports.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, aims to ban Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) from the capital, unless they are fitted with sensory equipment to detect cyclists in blind spots.

A 20mph speed limit has been introduced to a number of central roads in Brighton and Hove under the first phase of wider implementation.

Funding for individual transport modes should be more reflective of the amount the public use them, leading cycling experts have claimed.

Two new reports have been released by TRL which should be of significant interest to Transport Network readers.

Scores of local authorities have won a share of a £40m cash pot to help improve cycle safety across the country, transport minister Norman Baker has announced.

Plans for an independent transport safety commission have been announced by a leading transport charity and associate parliamentary group.

Ministers have set the Highways Agency a range of challenging performance targets, including making 20% savings on major schemes and carbon emissions by 2015.

Severe weather over the last year has worsened the UK’s pothole backlog by £338m, according to the annual ALARM report.

Heavy snow and rain forecasts for the next few days have local authority winter service teams on full alert, council chiefs have announced.

Road safety minister Stephen Hammond today unveiled a road safety comparison site for local authorities, together with a new research portal.

Brighton and Hove City Council has revealed 20pmh speed limits for its city centre will be introduced from 8 April.

London risks losing its ‘world class’ transport system without sustained funding and restrictions on car journeys, a major report has warned.

This week news has spread of some unusual road safety practices at one school crossing.

Council gritting teams have hit back at criticism over the state of local highways after a cold snap plunged the south of England under heavy snow from 9 to 11 March.

The Government has set out its vision for how infrastructure in the UK can be delivered more efficiently.

The durability of pothole repairs could be ‘greatly improved’ using ‘a few simple, cost-effective’ techniques, according to joint research by Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham.

Government cuts to road safety budgets must be reversed after official figures showed an increase in vulnerable road users being killed or seriously injured (KSI), motoring and

Public support for 20mph zones has almost reached an outright majority, according to new research published this week.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has released a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) – to share best practice and build up the evidence base for smarter travel interventions.

Nearly £150m has been set aside by Transport for London (TfL) for councils in the capital to undertake local transport schemes, it has been announced.

The Local Government Association (LGA) is assessing plans to pool town hall pension funds, to kick-start the country’s 500 stalled priority infrastructure projects.

What impact will the Autumn Statement have on local government funding?

This time last year saw chancellor George Osborne invest billions into infrastructure projects through what was described by the Treasury as an attempt to 'kickstart' economic growth.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is open to bespoke ‘transport deals’ to devolve more power over local networks to individual councils, transport minister Norman Baker has revealed.

Plans to fit lollipop men with cameras outside of 'Britain's most dangerous school' - Monks Abbey Primary School in Lincoln - has been met with the usual sensational response by the tabloid press, see the Sun and the Mail, following five separate traffic incidents at the junction.

Britain’s most expensive shared space scheme has opened to concern, with the threat of legal action should changes not be made to accommodate disabled people.

The Department for Transport must give councils ‘the freedom to fail’ when funding for major local transport schemes is devolved from 2015, the president of Adept has told Surveyor.

The most ‘cluttered’ route in the country and remains difficult for disabled access, a survey claims.

Plans to run bendy buses on the proposed rapid-transit routes through Bristol have been scrapped by the city’s Liberal Democrat-run authority.

Coventry City Council has launched its £6.9m Cycle Coventry project, which will upgrade existing routes and create new ones over the next three years.

A passenger watchdog says local authorities should involve bus operators when planning investment in interchanges, after Arriva withdrew from a £4m facility in Hartlepool.

More regional City Deals designed to improve strategic area-based transport links, similar to the Leeds City region deal, could be on their way, according to cities minister Greg Clark.

Planning permission has been granted by Hounslow LBC’s sustainable development committee for the regeneration of Brentford lock west

The bidding process for two major funds designed to support sustainable transport projects closed today (24 February)

Final approval has been given to the implementation of 20mph zones in the London Borough of Islington, following public consultation on the issue.

Free parking should be available in Wales’ towns to encourage shoppers onto struggling high streets, the Conservatives have said.

Northumberland County Council has become the 85th local authority whose roadworks data is now available to the public for free through an online porta

Compost is not only for domestic and agricultural use. WRAP’s Landscape and Regeneration programme has been applying compost with recycled materials t

The speed limit should not be increased to 80mph on motorways as it will result in more crashes and have negative economic effects.

Christian Wolmar went to take a ride in one of the new urban light transit pods at Heathrow Airport - and was impressed at the scheme

One of the unheralded successes of recent years has been the massive progress on transport safety. On the railways, there has been just one passenger

Supporting mobility for the growing ‘older old’ demographic is already a challenge for local authorities, and the demands are likely to increase as health and social services increasingly regard active lifestyles as preventative medicine. Rhodri Clark reports. The ‘over 65’ category still appears sometimes

Road safety in London has been questioned, following the death of two cyclists at junctions where concerns had previously been raised. This week a cyclist was killed in Bow – the 14th this year – on a cycling superhighway route. Issues had already arisen over the safety of the junction, although a lo

Normal 0 It is amazingly to reflect back only 6 months ago in the Spring that large swathes of the Country

A Commons debate on cycling safety last week raised the prospect of cycling commissioners being appointed in every local authority in the country. The ongoing debate, attended by transport minister, Norman Baker, had raised a range of suggestions for improving cycling safety, on the back of campaigning from The

Wirral BC has become the latest local authority to implement 20mph speed limits across its residential roads, with areas around schools prioritised in the first phase of a £1.1m scheme. A report put to Wirral MBC’s cabinet last week said the aim was to establish the 20mph limit on all residential roads wh

Fusce a metus eu diam varius congue nec nec sapien