Call for safety measures as figures reveal 149 people were killed or seriously injured on Calderdale's roads during the past 12 months

Partnerships with others, including through participation in West Yorkshire’s Vision Zero programme, will be crucial, councillors heard.

Calderdale Council’s assistant director for strategic infrastructure, Adrian Gill, said 478 people were injured on Calderdale’s roads last year, and 149 people were killed or seriously hurt in these incidents.

“Sadly, this is an issue which touches a lot of people,” he said.

Coun Dot Foster (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) said driving standards were a real concern.

“It is hugely sobering we have so many people killed or injured on our roads and so frustrating standards of driving are so poor we have that amount of accidents, that devastate people’s lives.

“Because that’s what they do – it’s life-changing,” she said.

Vision Zero is a West Yorkshire-wide campaign aimed at preventing these incidents.

Neil Hudson, of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said Vision Zero used five “pillars of action”, each with a specific element but working in conjunction with each other.

These include education and awareness as a crucial element of behaviour, safe speeds with appropriate limits, for example around schools, safe roads around an area’s infrastructure, safe vehicles including councils; own fleets and post-collision response, review and care.

“It’s how we learn from collisions that occur and stop them occurring again,” he said.

The human cost is paramount but there is also a financial cost, with every fatal accident on Calderdale’s roads costing £2.25million through a range of things, including to the emergency services.

“That is a significant figure, and the human cost is far more,” he told councillors.

Calderdale responses include a winter “Brakes” speed campaign and a spring campaign which is coming up to promote drivers using lower speeds around schools.

And support for Operation Hawmill sees an established partnership with the police tackling offenders.

Coun Helen Brundell (Lab, Todmorden) asked if roads subject to the national speed limit were being looked at.

Coun Peter Caffrey (Con, Northowram and Shelf) wanted to know about causes of accidents at particular locations, including how well or not the borough’s 20mph zones were working.

Place scrutiny board chair Coun Regan Dickenson (Con, Rastrick) said his colleague Coun Felicity Issott (Con, Ryburn) had raised issues following three deaths on roads in her ward, including action on a junction not yet being started – officers said the work was programmed and would happen.

Coun Foster welcomed measures which were being taken.

“Anything we can do to save one life is worth it,” she said.

Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) is Calderdale’s representative on Vision Zero at West Yorkshire Combined Authority.