Over £250,000 invested for safer roads across West Mercia

The funds form part of police and crime commissioner John Campion’s Road Safety Fund and are set to boost a range of safety measures across the region.

After over 80 applications from local communities, the original fund has been boosted by £30,000.

This allows the PCC to fund various schemes in Worcestershire, in an aim to address the fact that speeding plays a role in roughly one third of all road traffic collisions.

The investments will fund 25 Speed Indicator Devices located in 20 local parishes and in the towns of Bromsgrove and Stourport.

In addition, £3,700 is allocated to Malvern Wells Parish Council for the installation of traffic calming gates at the entrances to the villages of Malvern Wells, Upper Welland and the Wyche.

Intervention is also extended to promote green transport and safe cycling for children.

A £4,000 investment is awarded to Bike Worcester, half of which will promote the Bike Bus scheme, providing group bike rides to school for increased safety.

The remaining funds are set for raising awareness on safely passing cyclists, and distributing reflective signs for increased road visibility.

West Mercia Police’s ‘Car Safety Campaign’ aims to offer parents safety advice to reduce harm to young passengers.

PCC John Campion said: "I speak regularly to residents and road safety is often a top priority.

"It’s a concern I share, and I am committed to playing my part to reduce the number of people seriously injured or killed on our roads.

"This is only possible with the support of local communities, so I welcome the number of applications and the creative ideas that were submitted.

"I look forward to seeing the schemes from cameras to education programmes being rolled out in the county, helping to drive change in West Mercia."