Successful THINK! cycle safety campaign expanded
24 Mar 2014 02:25 PM
THINK! cycle safety
poster campaign launched.
A campaign designed to improve
safety for cyclists will be launched in key cities for a second time following
a successful first run, Road Safety Minister Robert Goodwill has
announced.
The campaign, which features
eye-catching outdoor posters warning motorists and cyclists to watch out for
each other, will run for 4 weeks in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds and
Manchester.
The campaign originally ran in
London last spring before being rolled out from October in the 5 cities where
statistics show the highest rates of traffic collisions involving cyclists
compared to population.
Analysis of last year’s
campaign showed that almost two-thirds of drivers agreed the adverts reminded
them about the importance of looking out for cyclists.
Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill
said:
We have some of the safest roads
in the world but one cyclist’s death is one too many and we are
determined to make our roads safer.
This new poster campaign builds
on the success of last year’s work to remind drivers to take care around
cyclists and remind cyclists to be extra cautious around vehicles. This message
is especially important as the weather improves and more people take to their
bikes.
More than £278 million has
been made available by the government to support safer cycling, including
£35 million to tackle dangerous junctions, while nearly all of the
projects being funded by the department’s £600 million Local
Sustainable Transport Fund contain a cycling element.
Local roads are the
responsibility of local authorities and councils have been challenged to
‘cycle-proof’ their existing roads and plan for cyclists when
designing new road infrastructure. Local authorities are also able to spend a
portion of £1.89 billion they receive for roads to improve provision for
cyclists.
The government has also made it
simpler for councils to introduce 20mph zones and limits and install Trixi
mirrors at junctions to help eliminate blind spots for drivers of heavy goods
vehicles (HGVs) and ensure better visibility of cyclists at
junctions.
Images from the campaign are
available here