We have launched our new Safer Roads Barnsley branding to promote road safety and reduce casualties and incidents on our roads.
In 2022, eight people were killed on Barnsley’s roads while a further 131 were severely injured with every death or serious injury on our roads being one too many.
The branding ties into our road safety strategy and our ambition to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured by at least 50% by 2030 and our long-term goal of zero people killed or seriously injured by 2050.
As part of the launch, a series of videos will be released on our social media channels featuring a range of partners, including South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, Birkwood Primary School, Highways England, South Yorkshire Police and members of Barnsley Council.
The videos and branding will be used to promote road safety across the borough and remind pedestrians, cyclists, motorbike users and drivers that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Cllr James Higginbottom, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment and Highways said:
“Road safety is an incredibly serious topic for all of our residents, no matter how they get about our borough, so I am delighted to be launching our new strategy and brand.
“We all want Barnsley’s roads to be safer for everyone who uses them, and we hope that the implementation of this branding alongside our strategy will achieve our long-term goals of reducing the amount of people killed and seriously injured by 50% by 2030 and to zero by 2050.
“The series of videos, branding and strategy are all are designed to bring road safety to the front of all of our minds and show that we all have a part to play in making our roads safer.
“I’d like to thank all of our partners who helped develop the strategy and took part in our videos and I look forward to seeing the branding in our upcoming road safety campaigns across the year.”
SYP Roads Policing Inspector Matt Collings said:
“We are committed to reducing fatalities and casualties across the roads of South Yorkshire and welcome the support in us reaching our vision and raising awareness of road safety.
“We have sadly experienced 11 fatalities on South Yorkshire’s roads during 2024, leaving families and loved ones devastated, as well as having a significant impact on the lives of those involved.
“You can’t be responsible for everyone else’s actions, but you can be for your own. Don’t speed, don’t drive while under the influence, don’t use your mobile phone and wear your seatbelt, and ensure children are in a correctly fitting car seat.
“If we work together, we can create safer roads.”
Under the strategy that was launched last year, partners will use a safe systems approach, with casualty reduction at the heart of planning, design, operation and use.
The Safe System has five areas for action: Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, Safe Roads, Safe Road Use, and Post-Collision response. The system only works if everyone does their bit. Communities and partners must work together to take ownership of road safety which we hope to inspire through our new brand and campaigns.
Barnsley Council is a member of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership (SYSRP) - a group of local authorities, emergency services and public sector organisations working together to prevent death and serious injury caused by collisions on local roads.
Find out more about Barnsley’s Safer Roads Strategy.
