The Yorkshire and Humber Road Safety Group has won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its work to improve cycle safety in the region.
The partnership – which comprises Safer Roads Humber, Safer Roads West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire Safer Roads and the 95 Alive Partnership – represents more than 20 public sector organisations including local authorities, fire and rescue services and police forces.
The award winning campaign focused on drivers, urban and rural cyclists and used a mix of radio, a bespoke DVD, online content and a cycling app to raise awareness of safe cycling and best practice for staying safe, whatever journey people are making on their bike.
An in-depth report was produced prior to the campaign to provide detailed information about cycling casualties. The report covered when, with whom and the circumstances involved, in order to inform the campaign. The report itself won the 2014 MAST Award for its content and approach.
Drivers were asked to look out for cyclists through a radio campaign on a range of stations across the region. Urban cyclists were targeted in a number of different ways including an Urban Cycling Guide DVD, more than 20,000 copies of which have been distributed.
The campaign also included an innovative mobile phone app, Cycle Yorkshire Ride The Routes, which was launched ahead of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire. More than 4,000 people have downloaded the app to-date.
Ruth Gore, chair of the cycling group, said: “The road safety partnerships across Yorkshire and Humber have a long track record of working together and we are thrilled to win this prestigious award.
“This is testament to partnership working, hard work and the positive safety improvements the region as a whole has achieved.”
Presenting the award at the 2014 National Road Safety Conference in Brighton, Adrian Walsh, director of The Prince’s award scheme, said: “This award recognises the success of a partnership of many agencies working together to deliver such an important and well structured campaign.
”Each individual partnership took the lead on different aspects of the project, including research, the Urban Cycling Guide DVD, the Cycle Yorkshire app, social media or evaluation.”
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