Time to Tackle Killer Roads

The New Party is calling for all A-class roads to be brought up to modern standards and for public bodies to be made legally responsible for the safe condition of the roads in their area. Many of our roads started life as cart tracks and they must be upgraded to modern standards to reduce the annual toll of 300,000 casualties. The New Party has also today (Wednesday) submitted a petition to this effect to the Scottish Parliament

New Party spokesman Dr Nigel Knight comments:
"Although driver error is still the prime cause of accidents there are far too many bad bends, adverse cambers, blind summits and dangerous junctions. It is no longer acceptable to see so many accidents causing death and serious injury on roads which are well past their sell by date."

The New Party proposes the setting up of a "Roads Inspectorate," as a division of the Health and Safety Executive, to inspect all our roads on a regular basis and issue legally enforceable ‘improvement notices’ where required.

In the UK, 500 people die hitting trees, lampposts, signs and other roadside hazards.

The European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) comments: "We have to make roads more forgiving - everyday human error shouldn't carry a death sentence.. Most of the roads we have examined have seen death and serious injury on a scale that if they occurred in a rail disaster would generate national headlines and soul-searching. Yet road deaths are often cheap to avoid by comparison." (John Dawson, AA Policy Director & EuroRAP Chairman, EuroRAP news release 18.02.02)
The New Party has proposed a range of measures to improve the social and financial circumstances of individuals as well as the national economy. Previous press releases are attached at the end of this notice.
ENDS:
The New Party
Grown up Politics for Grown up People

Notes for editors:
1. In 2003 there were 290,607 UK road casualties including 3,508 fatalities
2. Any road repair in excess of £10,000 should include an upgrade to modern standards
3. proper provision must be made for rural pedestrians and cyclists
4. More EuroRAP information is available at http://www.eurorap.org/
5. A petition in support of this proposal will be submitted to the Scottish Parliament. This will be handed over on 25 April at 1pm in the Scottish Parliament's Lawn Gallery by New Party Scottish spokesman David McFarlane. Press packs will be available and there will be an opportunity for photographs and/or interviews Our proposals would reduce road casualties and include the road network in a proper safety regime
6. Additional information on the petition is available on The New Party website at: http://www.newparty.co.uk/campaign2005/petition6info.pdf
7. The New Party has been formed to give the people of the UK a progressive alternative to the existing parties.
8. The Labour & Conservative parties have now held exclusive power for over 80 years
9. The New Party is using the 2005 General Election process as a platform to present its policies and will announce three major policies each week over the election period
10. The New Party has the endorsement of Sir John Harvey-Jones (see http://www.newparty.co.uk/viewpolicydocument.asp?iportdocid=380)
11. You can sign up to receive New Party *Email Alerts*

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