The Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) is investing £24,000 in improving cycle safety in Burton-on-Trent, thanks to an award from the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust.
The funding will be used for a range of projects including face-to-face engagement activities in the Burton area and an awareness-raising campaign aimed at reducing the number of collisions involving pedal cyclists and drivers.
Statistics show:
- Pedal cycles represent just 1% of road traffic nationally, but 12% of fatal and serious injury collisions (Staffordshire data, 2020-2024)
- 60 pedal cycle casualties were recorded in a five-year period in Burton-on-Trent (2019-2023)
- East Staffordshire, which includes Burton-on-Trent, has Staffordshire’s second highest fatal and serious injury casualty rate for cyclists (based on data 2019-2023).
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams is Chair of the SSRP. He said: “Sadly, too many cyclists are killed or seriously injured on our roads, which is why it’s vital that all road users look out for one another and consider their own and other people’s safety.
“I am grateful to the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust for this funding, which will be used for a range of projects to help to raise awareness of this issue and improve safety for cyclists in Burton-on-Trent and beyond.”
Projects funded through the initiative will include:
- Roadside stop checks for cyclist commuters to undertake maintenance checks and provide safe cycling advice and equipment
- Engagement with cyclists and drivers through events with local businesses
- Communications campaign to promote safety messages to cyclists and drivers
- Close pass operations to promote the safe overtaking of cyclists.
Richard Finchett, Trustee for the Charitable Trust and Deputy Managing Director at Toyota Manufacturing UK, commented: “Toyota’s ultimate goal is to eliminate traffic accident casualties, so it is a privilege to support this initiative which aligns with Toyota’s core values to improve road safety in our communities.”
As part of this cycle safety initiative, the SSRP will be working with partners including Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Staffordshire County Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council.
The SSRP was set up in 2001 as a partnership between public sector organisations in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, with the aim of reducing road casualties and making our roads safer.