The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has offered to host a new road safety board as part of efforts to support a wider, cross-sector, adoption of the Safe System approach to road risk.
Following the release of a new policy report on road safety from the professional body, which called for the creation of a new board, the CIHT has told Highways it would be interested in hosting a multi-agency body.
It also suggested that, perhaps for the first time, the membership would need to look beyond transport and highways representatives to co-ordinate efforts across a range of policy areas, including the Treasury if possible.
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Chief executive Sue Percy CBE (pictured) said: 'Our call for a UK-wide road safety strategy needs to be supported by the establishment of a road safety board. This would be made up of representatives from across the devolved nations and relevant government (UK) departments including the Department for Health and Social Care, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Treasury alongside the Department for Transport.
'This multi-agency approach is required because the current fragmentation of ownership and responsibility for roads throughout the UK could make implementing a consistent, coherent road safety strategy difficult to deliver.
'Establishing a road safety board with representation from government departments beyond just DfT would enable a more effective approach to the overseeing, strategic implementation and coordination across policymaking functions.
'CIHT believes we are the ideal organisation to host such a road safety board due to the multi-disciplinary nature of our membership and our current relationships with administrations with responsibility for transport across the UK.'
The UK Roads Leadership Group – a key body bringing together local and national government to help liaise with industry – has six boards covering key issues such as bridges, lighting and technology, network management and asset management. However, it does not currently have a specific road safety board.
The CIHT's recommendation for a new safety board did not specify that it would be part of the UKRLG and in fact it could operate outside of that structure, Highways understands. But it would fill what industry and government insiders have conceded to Highways appears to be a gap in the sector.
