MPs Turn Spotlight on Infrastructure as Road Safety Inquiry Continues

The role of road infrastructure in reducing casualties and improving safety outcomes will come under scrutiny this week as Parliament's Transport Committee continues its examination of the Government's new Road Safety Strategy.

A panel of leading road safety, active travel and highways experts is set to appear before MPs tomorrow as part of the inquiry's second evidence session, which will focus specifically on how infrastructure investment and design can contribute to safer roads.

The hearing comes as policymakers seek to understand whether the ambitions set out within the Road Safety Strategy can realistically be achieved and what practical measures will be required to deliver them.

At the centre of discussions is expected to be the Government's commitment to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the road network by 65 per cent by 2035. The strategy is built around the internationally recognised Safe System approach, a framework first developed in Sweden that accepts human error is inevitable and seeks to ensure road networks are designed to prevent mistakes from resulting in death or serious injury.

Committee members are expected to explore whether sufficient funding and policy support exist to turn those ambitions into reality.

Witnesses are also likely to be questioned on how the Safe System philosophy could be applied more effectively across England's roads and what lessons can be learned from countries where the model has already delivered significant reductions in casualties.

Beyond strategic policy, the session is expected to examine a range of practical issues facing road authorities and transport planners. These include the impact of road maintenance on safety performance, the challenges presented by rural roads, the effectiveness of speed management measures and the relationship between infrastructure design and road user behaviour.

The safety of vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians, is also expected to feature prominently, with MPs likely to assess whether current proposals go far enough to address the risks faced by those choosing active travel.

The expert panel includes representatives from across the road safety, highways and active travel sectors:

• Dan Campsall, Chairman of Agilysis

• Zak Viney, Campaigns and Public Affairs Coordinator at Living Streets

• Sarah Whitebread, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Cycling UK

• Kate Carpenter, Vice-President of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT)

• Martin Wiltshire, Assistant Manager for Safer Roads and Parking at Hampshire County Council

The evidence session is expected to provide valuable insight into whether infrastructure can play a greater role in achieving the Government's road safety ambitions and what changes may be needed to move from strategy to delivery.

For highways professionals, local authorities and transport operators, the discussion represents an important opportunity to influence how future road safety policy is shaped and funded, particularly at a time when network maintenance pressures and constrained budgets continue to present significant challenges.

As the inquiry progresses, the Committee's findings are likely to help shape future Government thinking on everything from road design standards and speed management to maintenance funding and active travel infrastructure, potentially influencing road safety policy for years to come.