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Hard shoulder survival advice from traffic officers
THE Highways
Agency Traffic Officers in the North West are backing a new campaign
to cut accidents in the motorway hard shoulder and save lives.
New Surviving the Hard Shoulder leaflets have been produced by
SURVIVE - Safe Use of Roadside Verges in Vehicular Emergencies - a
partnership comprising the Highways Agency, Association of Chief
Police Officers (ACPO) and representatives from the breakdown and
recovery industry including the AA, RAC and Green Flag.
The aim of SURVIVE is
to help improve the safety of those who are required to work on the
hard shoulder and members of the public who find themselves on the
hard shoulder after a break down or collision.
The new, full-colour illustrated leaflets give great tips on how to
behave during a hard shoulder break down as well as advice on who to
call on for help.
Hundreds of the leaflets are set to be handed out over the next few
months by on road patrols of Traffic Officers from the North West
Traffic Officer Service which is run from the North West Regional
Control Centre on the M6 at Newton-le-Willows.
It is from the RCC
that control room Traffic Officers answer calls from the orange
emergency roadside telephones in the hard shoulder. Calling the RCC
from one of the phones - always on the same side of the road as the
broken down vehicle - is one of the first things anyone involved in
a breakdown should do as calls from boxes ensure Traffic officers
can quickly find the location of the vehicle.
Standing in the hard shoulder, behind the safety barrier if
possible, rather than sitting in the vehicle is also a vital piece
of safety advice.
The new leaflets also feature advice for disabled drivers breaking
down as well as key dos and don'ts of hard shoulder behaviour.
For example, drivers should never stop in the hard shoulder to use a
mobile telephone - nor to go to the toilet, attend to children,
check a map, exercise a pet or take a break.
More than half the 340 daily incidents attended by Highways Agency
Traffic Officers in the North West are down to mechanical break
downs or - avoidably - running out of fuel in the hard shoulder.
Jamie Carr, Network
Operations Manager in charge of the North West Traffic Officer
Service, said:- "The hard shoulder is there for use in an
emergency only and the leaflet gives vital advice to anyone who
finds themselves in what can be an intimidating situation.
Obviously the leaflet warns against people stopping needlessly -
like reading a map or even taking a nap - but the main aim is to
help people to take the right course of action when they do break
down in an emergency."
There are six 'outstations' across the region from
where Highways Traffic Officers patrol the North West motorway
network. Every outstation has been given a supply of Surviving the
Hard Shoulder leaflets which will be handed out when Traffic
Officers speak to drivers in the hard shoulder or at special events
such as visits to motorway service areas.
Letters to editor:- "Family history... can you help?"
"I wonder if
any of your readers might be able to help with my family history
search for my Brandwood relatives. I am seeking information about
Clarrie Brandwood, her husband Joseph and mother May, who all lived
in Southport in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
I would be delighted to hear from your readers who remember any of
these Brandwoods." Susan Slater,
susan.slater@tesco.net. |
Merseyside's Public transport gets entertaining!
IN the run up
to the city’s official celebrations for 2008 on 11 January and 12
January 2008, many public transport routes will join in the fun.
Over the next few days, in association with Mersey Travel and Arriva,
everyday journeys around Merseyside will be seen in a very different
light when a variety of entertainers and musicians will be hopping
on and off buses and trains around the city.
Leader of Liverpool
City Council and Deputy Chair of The Liverpool Culture Company
Councillor Warren Bradley said that:- "This is an exciting
idea that will brighten up the daily travel around Merseyside.
It is also fantastic that it will not only to entertain locals, but
also tourists, providing even more of a festive atmosphere as we
celebrate Capital Of Culture."
If you spot the band
of entertainers on their travels around Merseyside, send in your
pictures to us at Southport Reporter!
Another record year for JLA over run up to Capital of Culture
THE end of
year figures released on 4 January 2008 has revealed that over 5.5
million passengers chose to use Liverpool John Lennon Airport in
2007, once again breaking all previous records. This
represents an 11% increase in passenger business compared to 2006
with over half a million additional passengers using Liverpool.
Once again this continued growth can be largely attributed to the
increase in the number of destinations available from Liverpool
particularly across Europe, with many new services introduced by a
number of airlines throughout 2007.
In June 2003, when Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary at the time
announced that Liverpool would be European Capital of Culture 2008,
there were just 13 scheduled services from the Airport and an annual
throughput of just over 3 million passengers. At the time, the
Airport said its goal for 2008 was to see the City linked directly
by air to as many European destinations as possible.
Over the past four and a half years, considerable progress has been
made by the Airport in realising this aim. In Capital of Culture
year, JLA will have scheduled services to over 60 European
destinations and annual passenger throughput has increased by 76%
since the announcement in 2003, with 2.4 million more passengers
choosing to fly via JLA.
European visitors now have the greatest possible opportunity to
visit the City during Capital of Culture Year and with many flights
operated by low cost carriers such easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air,
they can travel to the region at some of the lowest fares too.
Neil Pakey, Managing Director of JLA commented:- “Since Tessa
Jowell announced Liverpool was to be Capital of Culture, the
Airport's commercial team have worked tirelessly to ensure we have
as many European links as possible for ’08. This ensures it is
international visitors and not just locals who will enjoy all the
activities ’08 will have on offer. 2007 has been another
excellent year not only for the Airport but for the region as a
whole and I am confident that over the next 12 months even more new
services will have been announced giving more and more visitors from
across Europe the opportunity to visit the region in 2008 and
beyond.” |
