Accidents on Brighton & Hove’s roads have fallen by 12.5% since the Greens took office, according to a major survey by the Department for Transport. At the same time, accidents across the South East fell by just 1% and in England as a whole by only 5%. This is despite the fact that Brighton & Hove’s population is rising rapidly, with more people than ever before using the city’s streets.
Lead member for transport, Councillor Ian Davey, said: “This survey proves in black and white what we have been saying since we took office: we are introducing policies that make the roads of Brighton & Hove healthier and safer.
“Opposition councillors and pro-motorist campaigners want us to roll back time and return to the transport policies of the last administration. But do they also want more accidents on our roads each year? Because that’s what a roll-back would mean.
“Our streets are now safer. Sometimes people claim that Greens are anti-car. We are not anti-car but we are for safer streets for everyone. And that’s what this survey demonstrates we are achieving”
Cllr Warren Morgan, leader of Labour & Cooperative, said: “We welcome this reduction, which is line with the national decrease seen in recent years”
At a time when the Greens’ road policies are coming under fire from motorists’ and taxi drivers’ campaigns such as Unchain the Motorist, the Greens claim the survey provides evidence that their policies are working: there are now one in eight fewer accidents than before the Green administration launched its transport initiative and a much higher drop in accidents than seen nationally or across the region.
Graham Cox, the Conservative Transport Spokesperson, added: “I am pleased that the record levels of transport funding provided by the Conservative led Government is leading to a fall in road casualties in our city. We will continue to support further road safety measures which are based on sound evidence, so that the casualty rate falls further.”
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