HAMPSHIRE County Council is one of eight local authorities taking part in a national government initiative to improve safety on targeted roads, benefitting from part of a nationwide pot of £175million over the next four years.

Rob Humby, the county council’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “Hampshire County Council is at the forefront of a new national initiative to improve safety on the roads by treating whole routes.

“We have been working on the potential of route assessments in Hampshire so were pleased to see this approach adopted by the Government in a pathfinder initiative, and also to be able to benefit from the Safer Roads Fund.”

Mr Humby was one of the delegates at a briefing at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Whitty, chairman of the Road Safety Foundation, and MP?Andrew Jones, Parliamentary under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. The briefing was also attended by representatives from the local authorities contributing to the initiative, as well as from the RAC Foundation and the Road Safety Foundation.

Sections of three roads in Hampshire – the A32, A27 and A36 – have been identified by the Government as among 50 in the country to benefit from the initial announcement of funding to improve safety. The county council is now working with the Road Safety Foundation on specific measures to be submitted to the Department for Transport as part of the Safer Roads Fund.