Agenda item

The Committee requested an update report on Vision Zero.  Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet member for Highways Management, has been invited to present the report.  Bill Cotton, Corporate Director for Environment and Place, and Paul Fermer, Director of Highways and Operations, have also been invited to attend to speak to the report and to answer the Committee’s questions. 

The report will be published on 31 January 2024 to coincide with the launch of the public consultation on the draft Vision Zero Strategy and Action Plan.

Please note that the consultation closes on 10 March 2024 and not, as said in paragraph 3 of the report, on 27 February.

Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, attended to present the report on the Vision Zero Strategy and Action Plan which were out for public consultation.  Bill Cotton, Corporate Director of Environment and Place, Caroline Coyne, Programme Manager, Anthony Kirkwood, Team Leader (Vision Zero), and Andrew Ford, Road Safety Education Team Manager at Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service. Cllr Damian Haywood attended as Chair of the Vision Zero cycle group.

Cllr Gant introduced the Vision Zero policy describing it as part of an overarching vision and strategy for a place that works better for everybody and is an important policy in managing an increasing busy road network. As evidence of a wider vision, the Programme Manager raised other road safety investments such as the Road Safety and Accessibility fund.

The Vision Zero policy had been adopted in the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan under policy 15 and was an enabling piece of policy for the county’s active travel ambitions.

Following the presentation of the report, there was a desire to scrutinise the Thames Valley Police as a response to queries and concerns members of the public raised with the Vision Zero policy. There was a welcomeness to hear from other local sources with particular interest or knowledge of the issues being addressed.

Cllr Gant addressed the importance within the policy of reducing speed limits, particularly to evidence showing a 30% lower mortality rate to those being hit at 20mph compared to 30mph.

The viability of enforcement of 20mph speed limits, especially in rural areas, was considered with the potential that greater educating and licensing regulations would have greater impact on driver speed awareness. The Road Safety Education Team Manager described the various educational road safety projects of the Fire & Rescue service, and welcomed the increased support for these projects, especially from a marketing standpoint, from the Vision Zero policy. Age and experience of drivers were suggested as key contributors to road incidents. Mr Ford spoke to potential legislative works for a graduate licence for younger drivers, and the potential of retaking assessments for older drivers. The influence and importance of driver education was again highlighted.

In light of Safer Speeds action 4 (SS4), a review of all speed limits across Oxfordshire, the Committee sought further information on next steps and whether there was a specific evidence base requirement to change a speed limit. The Committee was informed that the Council had powers over non-national highway roads, allowing a process for officers to assess the justification and judgement for a change in speed limit. Each 20mph zone and scheme was planned bespoke in consultation with local communities. The delivery of these schemes was under constant review to ensure smooth implementation. Considerations included the nature of the road, its connectivity, and the view of the police that the speed limit was self-enforceable by a driver understanding the road. Beyond simply considering a speed limit change to make a road safer and fit for purpose, other elements would be considered such as signage or the layout of the road.

An update was provided on the programme for a 20mph speed limit default across the city of Oxford. The 3-year programme was ongoing; however, its implementation was more complex than for similar programmes rolled out across more rural areas of Oxfordshire. The lessons learnt from previous attempts, both successful and less successful, were being taken on board. Many of the urban factors were being considered, especially the operational response of the bus companies in Oxford with whom the Council sought to strike the right balance to supply a better bus service and avoid policies pulling in different directions.

Examples from across the country, from a variety of county Councils, showed the importance of partnerships for Oxfordshire’s Vision Zero project. It was suggested that greater partnerships with Thames Valley Police (TVP), Fire & Rescue, Ambulance, National Highways, and other agency teams were important to the success of Visions Zero. The committee was assured that there had been a commitment from TVP to work together going forward and there had been meetings to this effect. Similarly, the Committee had input from other associations, such as the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Association.

The Committee was advised that the majority of infrastructure projects being implemented were around Oxford because evidence was being followed and these projects were targeting the incident hotspots of the county. That these hotspots were in Oxford did not discount the importance of the policy and projects across the county.

Additionally, the Road Safety and Accessibility Fund looked at information across the county to determine roads of concern, with an analysis of what could be done to make these roads safer. A desire was expressed to work more closely with developers to ensure that new roads were built with safer transport routes in mind, including segregated cycleways. The Council was urged to look at whether these short-term infrastructure projects could be tied to section 106 payments, to deliver the required infrastructure before it exceeded safety requirements rather than after safety concerns had arisen.

The Committee resolved to make RECOMMENDATIONS to Cabinet under the following headings:

·       That the Council should work to establish a partnership board to monitor progress on Vision Zero with Thames Valley Police being fully involved as a key partner;

·       That the Council should continue to engage with Thames Valley Police in order to encourage enforcement of speed limits.

·       That the Council should identify additional powers that would support delivery of responsibilities and Vision Zero ambitions and request that Government considers implementing them.

·       That the Council should engage with other local authorities, particularly those with similarly diverse counties, and learn from them as well as to take learning from best practice in other authorities.

·       That the Council should add the Vision Zero Key Areas to the five pillars workstreams.

·       That the Council should ensure that its Vision Zero ambitions should be led by evidence and not be overly-focused on behaviour.

·       That the Council should continue to prioritise its infrastructure projects on the basis of data and evidence, taking account of the insights of local members.

·       That the Council should publish the danger hotspots on its website clearly linked to the underlying evidence.

·       That the Council should publish the numbers of road deaths of children and teenagers, and also by sex, clearly linked to Vision Zero.

·       That the Council should add SUVs and motorcycle categories to its safer vehicles section.

·       That the Council should set out, in as much detail as possible, information relating to the budget for this strategy and the costs associated with it, as well as the associated ongoing revenue costs.

·       That the Council should ensure that existing road layouts are planning considerations in its responses to new residential developments.

·       That the Council should undertake a safety audit of past road safety initiatives to learn from what has – or has not – worked previously.