Road safety is an essential component in sustainable urban mobility
In European cities, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists make up 70% of road deaths. This is according to the European Transport Safety Council, who are authors of a new report. The report also states tackling urban road safety must be a key priority for the European Union and European countries over the next decade.
The report looks at progress in reducing deaths on urban roads, and how that progress compares to progress on other road types. As well as the main risks, how urban areas can overcome them and funds for improving urban road safety.
The lead author of the report, Dovilė Adminaitė-Fodor, said: “As long as people don’t feel safe walking and cycling in our towns and cities, many will be discouraged from using the most sustainable modes of transport. This can create a vicious circle because people who take the car instead put all the vulnerable road users around them at greater risk.”
Continuing he added, “Many cities and towns are rightly focusing on improving air quality and sustainability in cities, and discouraging private car use. But safety concerns must go hand-in-hand to ensure that more people cycling and walking are able to do so in a safe environment.”
The report contains more than twenty main recommendations for action at EU, country and city authority level and can be downloaded from the ETSC website: www.etsc.eu/pinflash37.
