Leaders 'not willing' to commit cash to vision aimed at slashing Shropshire road tragedies
A "zero deaths" motion aimed at slashing the numbers of tragedies on Shropshire's roads has been voted down as leaders are "not willing" to commit finances.
Figures show that 121 people were killed or injured on county roads last year, and several more people have died in crashes this year.
Councillor Rob Wilson, Lib Dem representative for Copthorne, Shrewsbury, tabled a motion calling for the authority to adopt a "Vision Zero" strategy this week.
However Shropshire Council's Conservative leader Lezley Picton told Mr Wilson in a meeting that she had written to him, asking him to defer the motion until he has costings, and that he is "well aware" of the financial challenges facing the authority. The cash-strapped council is trying to make £50.8 million in savings in the next 16 months to help balance its books.
Councillor Picton said at a full council meeting: "I am not willing to commit finances of this council to this motion which is uncosted." She also referred to transport expert Professor John Whitelegg, who said the biggest issue is financial cost.
Fellow Conservative councillor Dan Morris supported Ms Picton's stance, saying it would be "irresponsible in times of austerity" to commit money to something that had not been costed. He added that 20mph speed limit trials were already agreed in Porthill and outside certain schools.
Porthill's Green Party councillor, Julian Dean, argued that "quite apart from saving lives", reducing road deaths would save the public money. He also said that Mr Wilson was simply asking for a paper to be brought to cabinet on the issue.
"If at that point the Tories decide 'we can't afford to save lives', you can make that decision," he said.
Councillor David Vasmer, Lib Dem representative for Underdale, said: "This motion sets out a way forward. We need to tackle this problem."
In his motion, Mr Wilson said: "Traditional approaches to road safety assume that people can be taught, persuaded or compelled to behave safely. A Safe System approach is different. It accepts that while road-users should behave safely and legally, people do sometimes make mistakes, and that some mistakes lead to crashes.
"Vision Zero principles will change public perception about road danger, so that death and injury is no longer an inevitable part of our lives as we move around, but something that can be avoided if a serious and sustained effort is made to tackle the causes of the problem.”
However, councillors voted down the motion, with 38 against and 27 in favour.
