Cambridgeshire County Council – Most Improved Road
Engineering a safer future
Cambridge County Council's work to improve safety on the A605 in the north of Cambridgeshire has won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.
The 13-mile section of road between Hobbs Lot Bridge and Peterborough has been recognised as the most improved section of rural highway in the country.
The County Council received the award during the launch of the 2012 British European Road Assessment Programme results at The House of Lords, on October 16th.
County Council Cabinet Member for Community Infrastructure, Councillor Tony Orgee, said, “Improving road safety is all about cutting the number of people who are killed and injured on the roads and I’m delighted that our very successful efforts to do just that on the busy A605, which is a major commuter route that is also extensively used by local traffic and commercial vehicles, has been recognised by the award of such a prestigious accolade as the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award'.
Announcing the award, Adrian Walsh director of the awards scheme said, “Many of our rural ‘A’ roads remain high risk – here is an outstanding example of a county taking this seriously and making a difference, other authorities should follow and do the same.”
Safety improvement work carried out by Cambridgeshire County Council included new traffic lights at the Goosetree junction, re-alignment of sections of the road, fixed and mobile speed cameras, new speed and accident blackspot warning signs and work to keep the surface and markings in good condition particularly at junctions and bends and maintained visibility by removing over grown trees and bushes.
As a result of the work, between 2005-2010, the number of fatal and seriuos crashes fell by 74% (from 34 to 9), and the road safety rating improved from medium risk to low risk.