§ Mr. SquireTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his strategy and priorities for future action on road safety in the light of consultations about the report, "Road Safety: The Next Steps," published in July 1987.
§ Mr. ChannonThere was wide support for the target which I set of reducing casualties by one third by the turn334W of the century, and for the proposals for redirecting resources to measures which can be shown directly to cut casualties.
Achieving the target depends on close co-operation between central and local government since 70 per cent. of casualties occur on local roads. Recently I agreed with the local authority leaders representing highway authorities new arrangements for taking forward road safety work jointly. We have agreed that the priority should be to reduce casualties among the most vulnerable road users—pedestrians, children, cyclists and motor cyclists—and that we should work together between now and the end of the year to find ways to expand the programme of low-cost road engineering schemes which will most benefit those groups. We will also work on setting local casualty reduction targets.
I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of a discussion paper which I tabled at the meeting with the local authority leaders which summarises views expressed during the consultation exercise and action taken and planned in respect of each of the review's recommendations.