Road Safety Framework - Operational Partnership Group (OPG) - meeting minutes - 22 February 2023
Members
George Henry (GH) (Chair) - Transport Scotland Road Safety Policy and Education
Stuart Wilson (SW) - Transport Scotland Safety and Development
Michelle Little (ML) - Transport Scotland Road Safety Policy
Steven Feeney (SF) - Transport Scotland Safety Camera Programme
Michael McDonnell - (MM) Road Safety Scotland
Keith Irving (KI) - Cycling Scotland
Neil Greig (NG) - IAM RoadSmart
Stuart Hay (SH) - Living Streets Scotland
Karen McDonnell (KM) - RoSPA
Alistair Ross (AR) - Association of British Insurers
Helene Mauchlen (HM) - British Horse Society
Lynne Mason (LM) - Road Haulage Association
Tommy Keay (TK) - Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Steve Wykes (SWy) - Motorcycle Action Group
In Attendance
Stewart Mackie (SM) Police Scotland
Ivet Gazova (IG) Transport Scotland Statistics
Alan Martin (AM) Transport Scotland Active Travel
Lorraine Forrester (LF) Transport Scotland Road Safety Policy
Secretariat
Kieren Green (KG) Transport Scotland Road Safety Policy
Ben McKenna (BM) Transport Scotland Road Safety Policy
Apologies
Fay McNicol (FM) Scottish Ambulance Service
Nina Day (ND) Health and Safety Executive
Dave Shea (DS) Scottish Community Safety Network
Gordon Brown (GB) SCOTS
Jill Mulholland (JM) Transport Scotland Sustainable and Active Travel
Welcome and Introductions
The Chair welcomed the OPG members to the meeting, and proceeded with round the table introductions.
Previous Minute and Actions
The minutes of the previous meeting, 22 August 2022 were agreed as an accurate record of discussion, all actions stemming from the last OPG meeting have been completed.
Updates from the Governance Groups
The Strategic Partnership Board (SPB) met on 17 November 2022 and, once the Board has agreed the minutes, these will be circulated to the OPG.
The Chair informed members that there will be a ministerial SPB meeting taking place on 9 March, this will be an opportunity for all members to provide the Minister for Transport with a detailed update of how their organisation is supporting delivery of the Road Safety Framework to 2030. A report from this meeting will also be fed to the minister at the SPB.
The governance meeting cycle was also discussed, with the Chair suggesting new dates for the SPB/OPG to meet in November following the publication of the Reported Road Casualties Scotland then bi-annually thereafter.
Members were content with this new meeting date proposal.
Action Point 1: Secretariat to circulate link to SPB minutes once approved by the Board.
Action Point 2: Chair to produce report from OPG which will be given at SPB meeting.
Action Point 3: Secretariat to cancel current OPG meeting series and issue new invites.
Knowledge, Data and Training
Targets, Mode & User - Intermediate Measures/KPIs
IG presented casualty data from 2021 Reported Road Casualties Scotland publication. We currently have the lowest number of fatalities to date, however more needs to be done to ensure we meet our 2030 targets.
The data for 2021 indicates that motorcyclists and older road users have a disproportionally high number of fatalities. 13 percent of motorcyclists being killed or serious injured reside outside Scotland.
An update on each of the key performance indicators, the progress towards the 2030 casualty reduction target and intermediate outcome targets was also provided.
IG continued by providing an update on speed indicator data, which covered 2022 calendar year. Currently the number of speed indicators for some speed limits is minimal however work is ongoing to identify and install 100 new speed indicator locations, predominantly in areas of deprivation and on roads with a speed limit of 20/30 mph.
AM asked if there was detailed information about where the collisions are actually happening and if this could allow for potential hotspots to be identified.
NG queried if it would be possible to also include journey purpose.
It was confirmed this information is available through Stats19 and is something that can be included for future meetings.
AR asked if there was any correlation between HGV speeds and dualling of the A9 given the recent increase in fatalities on this road.
SW advised this shouldn’t play a critical factor in the increases, there is a need to look at the collective picture of how to address fatalities and the causation factors, noting the recent fatigue and drive on the left campaign.
SWy raised concerns around those who ride motorcycles without holding a full licence and have only completed their Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). This allows riders to ride for two years and can be renewed without having to sit a test for a full licence.
The key priority group on motorcycles will look to reconvene in the coming months ahead of the start of the motorbike season and will look in-depth at these issues.
The Chair continued by saying there is a requirement for licensing across the board to be discussed with DfT, highlighting the rise in older road user fatalities and the current process for those aged 70+ to self-renew their license without any medical checks.
KI requested information on the Road Traffic Fatality Research work currently underway, stating it would be good to get a clearer understanding of what will be included. The fatality reports will initially look over a five-year period and detail causation factors and make recommendations on countermeasures.
Police Management Information Data
SM provided the latest management information data, highlighting that Police Scotland are continuing to monitor the data and increase the number of high visibility patrols in key collision hotspots.
The Motorcycle Safety Campaign took place between April and September, where officers carried out dedicated patrols on popular biker routes to engage, educate and enforce. Police Scotland is also looking to rollout the Rider Refinement course to other areas.
Older road users and fitness to drive continue to cause concern when looking at the stats and is anticipated, with an ageing population, this will continue to increase. The Driver Engagement North initiative has been extended to two further police divisions in the north command area. However, following a positive evaluation, funding has been approved from Transport Scotland for a further two simulators to permit a wider rollout.
NG stated that IAM RoadSmart are happy to offer support in the central belt when Rider Refinement is rolled out further.
Safe System Training & Education
The Chair advised discussions are ongoing with Transport Scotland Procurement and a potential supplier to try and identify the most suitable method of securing training in Scotland.
Action Point 4: IG to produce a breakdown of where collisions are occurring to identify potential hotspot areas.
Action Point 5: Chair/AR to discuss what data can be made available from damage only collisions.
Action Point 6: Chair to raise issue around bikers CBT and testing with DfT.
Delivery Plan and Monitoring
Delivery Plan Progress and Development
An update on the deliverables contained in the Annual Delivery Plan 2022/23 was provided. Noting that:
- This is the second delivery plan of the Framework and contains 54 deliverables. 19 of which are new and 35 are longer term.
- All 54 deliverables were RAG rated to indicate if they are on track for completion. The outcome of this showed that:
- 9 were red.
- 3 were amber.
- 25 were green
- 17 nil response.
It was noted from the 9 deliverables in red, funding has been the key issue. Discussions are continuing to ensure an adequate amount of funding for road safety is in place.
Risk Register
The risk register was circulated in advance of the meeting and members provided comment. The Chair sought the views on the current risk to the Framework and the scoring of each.
The groups discussed additional risks including the lack of adequate road safety funding and resource and delays to the National Dashcam Safety Portal.
SH also added that some local authorities are reducing the number of school crossing patrol staff and the effects of this will need to continue to be monitored within the stats.
The group also questioned whether a risk should be added around the failure to meet the 20 percent reduction in car km and the impact this may have on road safety. As this isn’t a road safety led matter it was agreed a discussion will take place with Transport Scotland climate colleagues to ensure this can be monitored.
Partner Updates
Partner updates were circulated in advance of the meeting with the following points highlighted;
- Active and Sustainable Travel continues to support the Cycling and Walking Safer Routes Fund, which has seen a range of infrastructure projects implemented across the 32 local authorities. In addition, support the delivery of safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists on the trunk road network.
- The Safety Camera Programme has procured 14 new ultra-low emission mobile camera vans. An upgrade of the A9 average speed camera system between Dunblane and Inverness has also taken place.
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is conducting an evaluation of the NW200 Stenaline motorcycle safety pilot.
- Research was presented at a Cycling Scotland conference which stated in collisions between bikes and vehicles, the contributory factors data indicates that the person driving is more often at fault than the bike rider.
- Living Streets Scotland’s project on continuous footways and bus stop bypasses has completed the fieldwork phase. Initial findings are being refined and developed.
- Further podcasts are looking to be developed by ScORSA covering a range of topics including active travel and the fatal four.
- The Road Haulage Association continues to include and promote VRU training.
- Most collisions involving a horse are due to drivers passing too close or too fast.
- ABI expressed concerns around the use of e-scooters, highlighting evidence these are beginning to show in fatal stats.
- MAG is working with the National Farmers Union on messaging during peak motorbike season and the installation of signage when farmer are working between fields.
Action Point 7: Members to provide a response to LF on their deliverables contained in the delivery plan if they haven’t already, as there is 17 that are nil response.
Action Point 8: Secretariat to review risk register and include new risks on NDPS and road safety resourcing.
Action Point 9: Chair/Secretariat to discuss with TS Climate colleagues regarding a risk on failure to meet 20% reduction in car km.
Action Point 10: KM to liaise with AM/SM on support for ScORSA podcast series.
Action Point 11: Secretariat to share RoSPA’s response to the Transport Select Committee on e-scooters.
Road Safety Framework Funding
A call for application to the Road Safety Framework and Evaluation fund went live in February and will close on 9 April. Applications are welcome which support the delivery of the Road Safety Framework 2030.
An update on the current projects was provided, highlighting that regular contact is kept with each and we will look to keep OPG members updated with progress.
Key Priority Groups
The Chair reiterated the creation of priority groups was an ask from the SPB and discussed at the last meeting. Since then, the Road Safety Policy team has reviewed what other groups are currently operating, taking members feedback into account on the number of groups.
The groups views were sought on the proposal of three new priority groups on Age, Vulnerable Road Users and Driver Behaviour and Enforcement. The current motorcycle priority group will also continue to meet.
AM queried how areas of deprivation and issues around schools will fit into these groups.
It was confirmed that deprivation will cross all groups, but data suggests there isn’t a road safety problem outside schools. Although, traffic management can be a problem but it is hoped, when the pavement parking ban comes to effect later this year, it can help alleviate some of these issues.
Transport Scotland will provide analytical and secretariat support, but the groups should be chaired by partners who have a more in-depth knowledge of the area.
Action Point 12: Secretariat to circulate groups with proposed membership to gain views and members’ comment.
AOB and Next Meeting
The group discussed a need to highlight the financial savings when investing in road safety initiatives. Include the amount it costs the tax-payer and health service to ensure the long-term investment in road safety.
The Chair informed members of new camera surveys which are being piloted in England. These are able to pick up road users who are not wearing a seatbelt or driving whilst on their phone. This is new technology, which can be deployed in most areas.
Ask members if we should be using something similar in Scotland for a better indication rather than roadside surveys the groups agreed that we should explore this system.