Safety on the Roads of West Yorkshire

Please note this consultation has now closed. You can read the survey report here.

Everyone will use the roads in West Yorkshire at some point in their lives, whether that is walking, cycling, driving, or using public transport. We want to ensure that all people in our region can do so safely, however they wish to travel.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the West Yorkshire Safe Roads Partnership are committed to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. We believe that no road deaths or serious injuries are acceptable, and we can work together to prevent these using a Safe System approach. This is our ‘Vision Zero’.

What is Vision Zero?

West Yorkshire Vision Zero is a road safety aim to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all in West Yorkshire.

Vision Zero is supported through a Safe System approach, which accepts that while road-users should behave safely and legally, people do sometimes make mistakes, and some mistakes lead to crashes.

Responsibility for road safety thus extends to anyone who plays a part in shaping the wider traffic environment, as well as the road users themselves. This includes those who plan, design, invest, legislate, build, maintain, enforce, and educate ensuring that roads are safe for everyone to use. Acting together, we can reduce traffic risk and create a safe mobility system that is forgiving of human error and eliminates serious harm. You can read about the Safe System approach of Vision Zero here.

Investigations into collisions show that many fatalities could have been prevented and that there are five main contributory factors that cause serious road traffic collisions. These are known as the 'Fatal Five'. You can read about the Fatal Five here.

Who is this consultation for?

Creating safer places and thriving communities is a key priority in the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan, so we are developing a Vision Zero Strategy to improve road safety in West Yorkshire. We know road safety is a top concern for West Yorkshire residents, and it is important that our strategy reflects the issues affecting you. People in our region experience the roads every day – your views will help us to deliver a new approach for safer and more sustainable travel.

This survey will inform the development of a Vision Zero strategy in West Yorkshire. We want to hear your views on the key issues affecting you.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is being joined by key partners including West Yorkshire Police, local authorities, the Fire and Rescue Service and National Highways in working on and delivering the strategy and develop a whole-system approach to road safety. Your views will be used to inform the partnership’s priorities on what we must deliver.

Message from the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and Chair of Vision Zero Board Alison Lowe OBE:

“We firmly believe that no death or serious injury is acceptable on our roads. Whilst we are under no illusion of the size of the task ahead, we must come together and do all that we can to make it a reality.

"We don’t want anyone to suffer the pain of losing a loved one in these circumstances. It’s really important that we get as many views as possible to inform the strategy so I would encourage everyone to have their say. Let’s do this together.”

You can find out more about how the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime hold the Chief Constable accountable for the delivery of Roads Policing by watching the Community Outcomes Meeting that took place on 24th January 2023.

Have your say

The survey was open from 31 July to 04 September 2023.

You can also contact the team at VisionZero@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

To make sure you don’t miss out on any further engagement, register to Your Voice so that we can keep you informed on future Vision Zero developments.

You can share feedback about specific road safety issues via Operation Snap, West Yorkshire Police’s Safer Roads Media Submissions portal where you can share footage relating to driving offences that you have witnessed.