A shake-up of road safety in West Yorkshire could make it easier to install speed cameras on dangerous roads.
Current guidance means deaths or serious accidents need to happen on a UK road before it is eligible for a speed camera.
But at a meeting this week Bradford Councillors heard that a new policy to cut down on traffic deaths could see this criteria scrapped – leading to more speed cameras on local roads.
And there were also calls to make speeding in the Bradford district as socially unacceptable as drink driving.
West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor Alison Lowe attended a meeting of the Council’s Executive on Tuesday to talk about Vision Zero – which is being adopted across West Yorkshire.
Adopted in 1995 in Sweden, Vision Zero has been credited for halving road deaths in the country.
Ms Lowe said the policy acknowledges that drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will make mistakes, but more needs to be done to make sure that any mistakes do not lead to death.
She pointed out that 309 people were killed on Bradford’s roads last year.
A report to the Executive said: “Driver behaviour is a particular problem in Bradford. Bradford also experiences the highest levels of accidents involving uninsured and un-taxed vehicles in the UK. Bradford also has the highest level of non-compliance issues around seat belt wearing.
“This leads to a disproportionate and over representation of casualties.”
The committee was told there would be a greater focus on preventing accidents from happening in the first place, rather than reacting to make roads safer after accidents.
Ms Lowe, who is in charge of police and crime in West Yorkshire, said: “We have to look at the design of roads, the design of cars and the behaviours of people – not just drivers but all members of the public.
“You think about drink driving – we have families and friends warning people not to drink drive. We need to get similar conversations going in the community about speeding. We need to make speeding as big an anathema as drink driving.
Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Every death on the road is a tragedy that sends shockwaves through the community.”
Asked how speeds might be influenced, Ms Lowe said: “What we’ve been trying to do is influence Government to address the 1974 guidance on speed cameras (which dictates that fatal or serious accidents need to happen on roads before speed camaras are installed). That guidance is every Councillor’s worst nightmare.
“The Government has been reviewing guidance. We were told new guidance would come out in January. They’ve since said December.
“We’re now looking to introduce our own guidance to understand what is possible. We’re taking this step because we’re fed up with waiting.”
Members voted to support the new policy.
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