Brake calls for reintroduction of casualty reduction targets

BRAKE, the road safety charity, is calling on the government to show strong leadership and reintroduce causality reduction targets as the Department for Transport publishes its Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain Annual Report for 2014. It shows that 1,775 people died on the roads (a 4% increase on the year before). 22,807 more were seriously injured (a 5% annual increase).  Casualties of all severities rose to 194,477 in Great Britain in 2014, an increase of 6% from 2013, interrupting what was a steady downward trend since 1997. Brake believes the reintroduction of ambitious casualty reduction targets, axed in 2010, must be a key first step in an urgently needed fightback against road danger, alongside a 'vision zero' approach that acknowledges that any number of road deaths is unacceptable.

People on foot and bike bore the brunt of the rise:-

►  Pedestrian deaths rose by 12% to 446, accounting for ¾ of the overall rise in fatalities.

►  Serious injuries to cyclists rose by 8% to 3,401, continuing a long term trend that has been ongoing since 2004.

►  Worryingly, traffic levels in 2014 were 2.4% higher than in 2013. Air pollution is estimated to cause 24,000 deaths a year in the UK, ½ attributable to road transport.

►  The number of cars is set to increase by 43% by 2035 and traffic delays by 50%.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, said:- "We should be under no illusions as to the seriousness of these figures. The government needs to get a grip of this situation, and it can start by reintroducing ambitious casualty reduction targets, with an ultimate aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads to zero. We know from running our helpline for devastated road crash victims that every road death causes unimaginable human suffering, and every one is preventable. The increases in serious casualties among pedestrians and cyclists are especially horrifying, given the importance of protecting vulnerable road users and enabling people to walk and cycle more. At a time when car manufacturers have serious questions to answer on vehicle emissions, it is worrying to see a growth in vehicle traffic. The price for this is being paid by individuals, families and the planet, and it's not a price worth paying. That's why our theme for this year's Road Safety Week, Drive less, live more, is focused on encouraging people to think again about why, when and how we drive private vehicles."

75% of children in the North West aren't doing nearly enough physical activity

NEW research into child activity rates reveals parents in the North West are unaware of how much activity their child should be doing to stay healthy. Over three quarters of school children in the North West are not doing enough physical activity, according to a new study. The new research into child activity rates in found that 76% of children are doing no more than 4 hours of out of school exercise each week.

The survey of over 2,000 parents, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Diabetes UK and Tesco, also revealed that very few parents in the North West know how much activity their children should be doing, with 85% admitting that they don't know what the recommended guidelines are. 73% of parents underestimate the amount of exercise their child needs, believing they only need around 30 minutes a day.  According to Public Health England:- "all children and young people {aged 5 to 18} should engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day."

21% of parents say their child does no more than an hour a week, with 10% saying they do none at all, putting them at increased risk of being overweight and developing serious long term health conditions in the future, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Parents stated cost (33%) to be the biggest barrier to their children doing more exercise outside of school. Parents also highlight that they would most like to take children to gymnastics, horse riding and to martial arts if they could afford to.

31% of parents believe the responsibility to ensure children get enough exercise lies with their children's school. The 2002 Education Act states that the Secretary of State is barred from ordering any school to devote a certain period of time to any particular subject, including physical education.

Catherine Kelly, Director of Prevention, Survival and Support at the British Heart Foundation, explains:- "Being inactive can lead to a multitude of health problems for children, including an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in later life. The benefits of physical activity outside of the classroom and within the community are vast, and as well as benefitting their heart health, it's fun too!  That's why we are working with Diabetes UK and Tesco to deliver projects in areas most at need across the UK, helping communities to get active, lower their risk of developing these conditions and ultimately benefit the health of children in the future."

Jenna Hall, Programme Director for the National Charity Partnership, explains:- "East London is the first of 15 areas where the Partnership will be running mass participation community projects and will encourage at least 200,000 people to get active in its first year. These projects will be run in areas that have a high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, high mortality rates from cardiovascular disease, high levels of obesity and low levels of activity rates."

The National Charity Partnership between Diabetes UK, BHF and Tesco was announced earlier this year. Its aim is to help save lives, by helping millions of people to eat better and get active, reducing their risk of serious ill-health in the future. This will help reduce people's risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, both of which are largely preventable through healthy lifestyle choices. Through the money raised by Tesco colleagues and customers, the partnership will deliver a variety of preventative and informative initiatives.  For more information about the National Charity Partnership visit:-TescoCharityPartnership.Org.UK.

Lessons for Lille from Liverpool

A dedication from the French City of Lille, who are on a fact finding mission to Liverpool, on Monday, 28 September 2015, to examine innovative methods to bring empty properties back into use.  The elected Mayor of Roubaix, Guillaume Delbar, and a team of officers from the La Fabrique des Quartiers regeneration project will be looking at a number of different projects during a whistle stop tour. It will include Granby Four Streets, where a number of separate schemes involving partners such as the City Council, housing associations and a Community Land Trust are working to transform around 150 properties to create a thriving community. One project run by the Community Land Trust has been nominated for the Turner Prize, while Cairns Street has been nominated for Street of the Year in the Academy of Urbanism awards. They will also look at the City's pilot Homes for a Pound scheme, in which around 20 properties which have lain derelict have been handed over to people for £1 on condition they bring them up to decent homes standard and live there for at least 5 years. They will be shown plans for an expanded scheme involving 150 houses off Smithdown Road in Picton.  Cabinet member for housing, Councillor Frank Hont, said:- "Reversing decades of decay is a real challenge, but in areas such as the Four Streets, by working with partners and listening to the local community, we are starting to make a real difference. We have already either brought back into use, or are in the process of bringing back into use, around 4,000 homes. We have attracted a lot of national and international attention with our work to tackle the blight of empty homes in Liverpool, and we are pleased to host the delegation from Lille and show them the success we are having."