Independent views By Brendan Horan

Making safer journeys is the Government's new strategy to improve road safety over the next decade.

It uses classic catchphrases such as safer speeds, safer vehicles and safer road users. On one hand it looks and sounds good but behind the façade the Government depleted by a third funding for user behaviour campaigns and NZTA abandoned community-based road safety leadership, leaving it to local authorities with reduced funding.

Another source of revenue, the Road Safety Trust (funds generated from the sale of number plates), was collapsed by the minister and the remaining capital, plus future revenue, handed over to NZTA.

One way to raise revenue is in the form of fines and it is interesting that last year in a campaign to improve the safety of vehicles on our local roads Western BOP police issued 8500 tickets for no WOF or no registration. That's a $200 ticket for one in 20 people locally.

The Bay of Plenty Region has a higher severity of fatal and serious crashes than the national average. Poor observation, alcohol and speed are still major contributors to fatal crashes. I'm also advised that we have a high percentage of workers who drive to work and have been found with illegal drugs in their body. Something needs to be done. Common sense and awareness are two attributes that are sorely needed at every level.

Our region needs leadership. The regional transport strategy notes that central and local governments have to fund, inform and educate New Zealanders about road safety issues and road user behaviour. Yet currently our regional council provides only scant funding and staffing to manage road safety, where in reality they should be managing regional leadership.

Even the Waikato Regional Council has called on the BOP council to ‘smarten up their act'. It sees road safety as a partnership and has called on our council to strategically ‘clarify the importance of road safety' as it is keen to collaborate at this level with the Bay of Plenty Region on shared road safety and route security issues.

Behaviour safety on our roads remains a major issue. We need to work together as a region (and inter-regionally) to improve our road safety statistics. We have not seen a lot happening recently; local billboards could certainly do with refreshing and let's keep with a local flavour and not simply promote national programmes.

I am only too happy to discuss with you any issues you are experiencing on our local roads. Contact me with your concerns or recent experiences. Let's give road safety the priority it deserves.

Visit Facebook.com/Brendan.horan.336 twitter.com/brendanhoran or phone Brendan 07 574 0253.