Issue - meetings

To receive an update by the Community and Road Safety Manager, on the education and Fire and Rescue Service elements of road safety.

Martin Dowle, the Community and Road Safety Manager for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, presented an oral update on the education and Fire and Rescue Service elements of road safety over the past 12 months. The Road Traffic Act of 1988 placed a responsibility for promoting road safety on local authorities. Cheshire East had commissioned Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) to deliver education on road safety to children in schools at Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) in April 2012.

During the update questions were asked and the following points arose:

·         CFRS had a four year contract to deliver road safety education with the option to extend the contact for a further three years. The contract did not cover education for private schools.

·         The requirements of the contract were to deliver education on road safety to 90% of the primary and secondary schools in the Borough. CFRS had managed to deliver its road safety course for KS2 pupils to 100% of the primary schools and the KS4 course to 86% of secondary schools meaning 98% of total schools were covered by April 2013. All but one of the secondary schools not in the 86% had received the course since April 2013.

·         The Committee suggested that Councillors may be able to influence any school as governors to ensure CFRS was able to deliver the course.

·         CFRS had 29 Community Safety Officers dedicated and trained to deliver road safety education. There was no danger of these Officers being called to an emergency during a school visit.

·         The training for the school pupils was interactive and involving which helped to increase interest and learning.

·         The Council, CFRS and Cheshire Police had a Multiagency Plan for Road Safety which was used to co-ordinated their efforts on education, enforcement and engineering.

·         Death and Serious Injury figures for Cheshire East were unchanged from 2011 to 2012 with 12 deaths and 231 serious injuries in each year.

·         Accidents involving cyclists had increased however this may have been attributed to the increase in the number of cyclists since the success of British cycling at le Tour de France and London 2012 Olympics.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Martin Dowle be thanked for attending the meeting.

2.    That the oral report be noted.

3.    That the Multiagency Road Safety Plan be distributed to the members of the Committee via email.