Road Safety Program
While Road conditions and engineering design have a strong influence on safety, education is a vital strategy achieving safety on our roads. Council employs a Road Safety Officer to manage the ‘Streets Are For everyone Program’. The Road Safety Officer works with other stakeholders including the Police, the Roads and Traffic Authority and the Central Sydney Area Health Service to provide a coordinated approach to local road user behavioural issues.
An annual road safety action plan identifies the most at risk road user behaviours and key road safety issues for the Leichhardt Council area. This Action Plan also outlines the strategies to be implemented in the next 12 months to address these. If you would like more information on improving roads to improve safety go to the Services Section.
Council Road Safety Program
Leichhardt Council introduced the Streets Are For Everyone (S.A.F.E.) road safety program in July 1995. Since that time, the program has become known to the local community through many of the program's initiatives. .jpg)
Why have a local government based Road Safety Program?
Councils are the level of government best able to lead the battle against local road trauma. A local program can identify road safety problems that are specific to the Leichhardt Council area.
Leichhardt Council, like other councils in the State, has responsibility for the control and maintenance of public roads within the council boundaries. Road conditions and design have a strong influence on safety, however, education has increasingly come to be recognised as an important strategy to support engineering and enforcement strategies..
Road safety is integral to Council's objectives
The Road Safety Program operates from within the Strategic Environment Section.
The Community Road Safety Program compliments Council's engineering solutions to local road safety problems. The Program focuses on the behaviour of road users and, through community based initiatives, seeks to build a strong road safety culture in the community which promotes safer road user practises.
A Road Safety Steering Committee brings together the Traffic Engineer, Community Services Department and other relevant Council Officers along with representatives from key stake holders such as the Police, Department of Health, Department of School Education and the RTA.
The Steering Committee oversees the development of an annual Road Safety Action Plan. This Plan is based on the five-year Draft Road Safety Strategic Plan which identified priority issues and most at risk road user groups. Plans and project reports are presented to the Local Traffic Committee for endorsement.
Why is there a behavioural focus?
Leichhardt Council recognises that factors other than road environment influence road safety. RTA road accident statistics indicate human error is a contributing factor in up to 95% of serious crashes. Research and experience indicate that there are many instances where crashes can be prevented, or the severity lessened, by eliminating behavioural factors such as excessive and inappropriate speeding, drinking under the influence of alcohol or drugs, travelling in a vehicle without seat belts or other appropriate restraints and driving when fatigued.
While there are no simple or uniform solutions to the diverse nature and causes of road safety problems, developing an overall council strategy which targets road management, road user behaviour and social attitudes will contribute greatly to improving road safety.
How is the community involved?
Road safety cannot be delivered. It must be practised. Broad community involvement is necessary to develop a culture where road safety is highly valued. Providing opportunities for community participation in road safety is beneficial to the community and imperative for the success of the Program. Taking collective responsibility for road safety is both desirable and encouraged by the Road Safety Program. The annual Road Safety Action Plan can assist this process by indicating the general aims and goals of the Program and outlining the priority areas to be targeted in the next year.
The purpose of the Action Plan is to develop a program of effective actions which will lead to safer road practises being employed by all road users which will ultimately lead to safer roads, safer people and less road trauma in our local community. The community, comprising residents, local businesses, community organisations, or workers in the area, is encouraged to become involved in the implementation of such road safety initiatives.
The community can contribute to the future directions of the program by raising their concerns with the Road Safety Officer, or with their Precinct Committee. Priorities for the program will be established on an annual basis. Local knowledge and information, along with accident data analysis will determine priorities and targets of future action plans.