Development and Property Services

Roads and Transportation

ACCIDENT PREVENTION - Encouragement

Encouragement relates to measures taken to encourage other departments of the council and other organisations to take responsibility for, and to carry out work which has an effect on road safety.

East Ayrshire Council

Elected Members East Ayrshire councillors are fully committed to implementing the Road Safety Plan. The Plan was prepared under the direction of a Member/Officer group on road safety. This group, and the chairs of all the relevant East Ayrshire Council committees, will play an active part in promoting the strategy.

Chief Executive

The Road Safety Plan is one of East Ayrshire's strategic documents and it commands the council's corporate support.

Local Committees

There are seven Local Committees covering Kilmarnock North, Kilmarnock South and Kilmarnock Central, Northern Area, Irvine Valley, Cumnock Area and Doon Valley. Membership consists of Elected Members and up to a maximum of ten representatives from the community, four of whom must be from community councils, representatives of elderly forums or equivalent, youth forums or equivalent, and disabled forum or equivalent. Other representatives from the community are selected by the Local Committee. Committees will be advised of accident totals and are consulted on current programmes of road safety schemes in their area. Possible roles they could play are:

• advising on local publicity campaigns;
• provide feedback on road safety issues;
• raise awareness of road safety issues amongst public.

Department of Community Services

Current activities include:

• administration of East Ayrshire Community Safety Forum. This provides a forum in which accident prevention measures, including road safety are discussed and developed;
• the dissemination of leaflets and posters provided by RSTOs through libraries, halls and sports centres;
• facilitating exhibitions and events organised by RSTOs at libraries, halls and sports centres including Dean Park;
• the provision of a standard set of books, videos and CD-ROMS on driving and other aspects of road safety through libraries;
• the incorporation of road safety into the repertoire of the four storytellers employed by the library service. The work of this unit is carried out in libraries and schools;
  
• the inclusion of motoring and road safety sites on the World Wide Web in the internet service provided for the public by the library service;
  
• the inclusion of a box of road safety materials for the under-fives in the loan service operated by the play development section;
  
• as a contracting department, specifying safe working practices;
  
• licensing of taxi drivers and vehicle inspections;
  
• co-ordinating and liasing on road safety issues through the Community Safety Officer.

Department of Development Services - Transport and Roads Contracting

The following activities are currently being carried out:

• driver licence checks;
  
• monitoring of vehicle inspection/service history records;
  
• encouragement of vehicle safety by driver training in the various aspects of operating a commercial vehicle. This includes familiarisation and vehicle fault detecting courses;
  
• assessment of driver suitability;
  
• Driver of the Year Awards in association with the local Institute of Advanced Motorists group.

Department of Education

The support of the Education Department is very valuable in ensuring that pupils receive the necessary foundation in road safety education. Many teachers carry out project work, or train pupils in the cycle training programme with road safety staff providing resources and advice.

In addition the Education Department is responsible for the provision of transport to and from school, health and safety within the confines of the school, and transport within school hours.

The following programmes are currently ongoing:

School Transport

The Education Act requires that local authorities provide free transport for pupils if a child under 8 lives more than 2 miles from the school and a child over 8 lives more than 3 miles from the school. East Ayrshire Council has adopted a more generous provision where primary pupils living more than one mile from school receive transport as do secondary pupils living more than 2 miles away.

Strathclyde Passenger Transport issues contracts after tender on behalf of the Education Department. They carry out licence checks and monitor vehicle roadworthiness and will assess any notified problems arising at the school or at particular pick-up points on the route. A system is operated whereby headteachers can notify the SPT of problems at the school.

A system is in place for dealing with misbehaviour on buses as this could affect the safety of pupils.

School Premises

Schools advise parents and children of routes to take on entering or leaving school. In addition, school gates may be locked when children are in the playground to prevent vehicle access. The Education Department's Health and Safety Officer carries out safety audits of school playgrounds, including entrances and exits. Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools include safety issues in their reports on schools.

Transport in School

The council requires minibuses under 16 seats to be fitted with seatbelts on front facing seats.

Guidance on safe school trips and safe school travel has been issued to all schools.

In addition every school has received a copy of a School Transport Resource Pack for use with pupils.

School Crossing Patrols

The Education Department operates school crossing patrols.

Department of Housing

Officials from Housing and Roads discuss issues such as access for older people and people with disabilities, public seating and road layout.

Department of Personnel Services

Currently the department carries out licence checks of essential and casual drivers to avoid insurance claims against the council.

Public Relations and Marketing Section

The section advises road safety staff on publicity campaigns and issues press releases on their behalf. Road safety features are included in the council publications, EastWords and Headlines.

Department of Social Work

Regular driver awareness courses are held for fine defaulters, in association with RSTOs.

Other Agencies

Health Service

A Health for All 2000 Working Group has been set up by Ayrshire and Arran Health Board to facilitate co-ordinated action on health and safety issues by various agencies.

Baby seats are available to parents of newly born children through a scheme operating in Ayrshire Central Hospital. All new births in the three Ayrshire councils take place in this hospital.

Health Visitors in the Cumnock area are promoting the Children's Traffic Club in Scotland when visiting homes.

Publicity materials are made available in health centres.

Strathclyde Passenger Transport(SPT)

The SPT is consulted by the Department of Development Services on road schemes and traffic calming measures. In addition, they assist the Police and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in examining buses both for school work and for local services, and provide advice and expertise to the Department of Education with regard to school transport.

Other safety related aspects of the SPTs work are passenger safety and the location of bus stops.

East Ayrshire Community Safety Forum

This provides a forum in which accident prevention issues, including road safety can be discussed. Business and Commercial Sector At present the involvement of this sector is limited, although there is considerable potential to develop this.

Current activities include:

• liaison with the Institute of Advanced Motorists;
  
• distribution of publicity material through a limited number of outlets.

Strathclyde Police

All authorised police drivers and Traffic Officers in particular must realise that they are viewed as role models in the manner in which they drive marked police vehicles. This ability ultimately reflects on the professionalism of the entire Force. Police Officers enjoy a privileged position with the criminal justice system in that they are often the first point of contact with the offender, which allows them the unique responsibility of taking account of all the circumstances before using the power of enforcement or indeed discretion. This use of discretion is best highlighted by the Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme as an education, encouragement and if not complied with, enforcement process. It provides an opportunity to create responsible drivers with safer vehicles. Furthermore the use of Verbal Cautions is seen as an excellent encouragement tool by highlighting the dangers of minor offences without the need for enforcement and so maintain public confidence and goodwill.