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Local kids march
for safer streets for walking
14,022 kids from 73 schools
across the North West have been marching for safer streets as part
of Brake's Giant Walking Bus (see below for participating schools).
They are joining more than 100,000 children across the UK taking
part in the event, which calls on drivers to 'GO 20'; slow
down to 20 or below around homes, schools and shops; to protect
kids on foot and enable more to walk. The event also calls for more
safety measures such as widespread 20 limits and safe pavements,
paths and crossings.
In a survey by Brake of more than 700 kids from the North West
taking part, children explained their need for safer streets to
enable them to get out more on foot and bike. It found:-
► 79% think more kids would be able to walk or cycle to school if
roads were made safer.
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59% say their route to school
needs to be made safer.
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70% want more paths, cycle paths
and crossings in their neighbourhood they can use to walk or cycle
to the park, shops or to see friends.
►
34% report being scared by traffic
when walking or cycling in their neighbourhood.
Statistics revealed by Brake show that in the North West, 40% of
primary school children are now driven to school, while 52% walk and
1% cycle. Research shows parents' fears for kids' safety are a major
barrier to getting more children walking and cycling, impacting on
children's health and contributing to congestion and traffic danger.
UK-wide, every school day 23 children are run over and hurt when
walking or cycling to or from school and four of these children are
killed or suffer serious, sometimes life-long, injuries. That's 713
children killed or seriously injured walking or cycling to school
each year. Death on the road is the biggest non-medical killer of
school aged children, greater than drowning, falls or accidental
poisoning combined.
The GO 20 campaign; by Brake and a coalition of charities; calls
for 20mph to become the norm in built-up areas, and appeals to
drivers to slow down, to make roads safer for kids and adults on
foot and bike. A recent World Health Organisation report on
pedestrian safety urged widespread 20mph limits where people live,
as they are proven to reduce casualties and encourage walking and
cycling.
Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, the road safety
charity, said:- "Many parents are in a difficult situation
when it comes to letting their kids walk or cycle, often forced to
weigh up the benefits of their kids being active and getting out and
about with the risk of their child being knocked down and hurt. We
need to make it easier for them by making roads safer for children
and people of all ages, to help kids have the fun, active childhood
they deserve - and a proven way to do this is to reduce traffic
speeds. We're appealing to drivers to listen to the thousands of
kids marching today, and take the simple step of slowing down to
20mph or less around homes, schools and shops. It's a case of
putting kids before getting there a few minutes faster. We're also
welcoming recent progress in the North West in bringing in more
20mph limits, and urging government and more authorities to work
towards 20mph being the norm across all communities, to help kids
walk without being put in danger."
About Giant Walking Bus:- Brake's Giant Walking Bus is an annual event in primary schools
where children learn about traffic pollution and danger, and
transport choices. Schools taking part get their kids to march (in a
crocodile of supervised kids, holding hands on safe pavements, or
around the school's grounds) which gives kids a voice, helping them
tell drivers to slow down and look out for people on foot. Kids can
be sponsored to take part, helping fund Brake's campaigns and
services for families bereaved and injured by road crashes.
GO 20 is a coalition campaign backed by 12 charities calling for all
our communities to GO 20, on the basis that GOing 20 means:-
Fewer casualties:- at 20, drivers
have more time to react and stop in time if they need to. Studies
show when 20 limits replace 30, it means fewer casualties among
pedestrians and cyclists.
More walking and cycling:- danger
from traffic is a major barrier in enabling more people to walk and
cycle. Town and City-wide 20 limits have resulted in more people
walking and cycling.
Healthier, happier people:- More
walking and cycling means healthier people, and more enjoyable
outdoors activity for kids and adults. It helps communities interact
and be communities.
Less pollution:- GOing 20 means
lower emissions from vehicle journeys. Plus if more people can
switch their commute or school run to foot or bike, it means less
polluting traffic.
Lower costs:- Poor health from
inactivity costs society dearly. Road casualties cost even more, due
to the suffering and burden on health and emergency services.
Preventing casualties and improving health means GOing 20 pays for
itself many times over. It also helps people save money by choosing
the cheapest ways to get about: foot and bike.
Advice for parents:- Deciding at what age to let children walk or cycle to school
unsupervised is a difficult decision for many parents, who are faced
with having to weigh up the benefits of their child living an active
lifestyle with the threat of their child being hurt by traffic.
Research shows many are put off letting their child get out and
about by traffic danger. Making roads safer helps more parents to
let kids walk or cycle.
Parents who are worried that their child's route to school isn't
safe enough have a number of options. If it's possible, they could
walk with their child to school, helping to keep them safe, or set
up a walking bus with the help of other parents. They could also
work with the school to set up a local campaign for safer roads,
calling for measures such as a 20mph limit, crossings, pavements and
paths. They can also check if their child's school runs practical
pedestrian and cyclist training, and encourage them to contact the
local authority to provide this if they don't. You can
also read our related news report, in this weeks issue by clicking
on
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Learn more about
patients' role in clinical research
HEALTH professionals are
inviting the public to find out more about the clinical research
that takes place at Southport and Ormskirk hospitals.
Patients who have participated in research will join local
clinicians in presenting seven short lectures on Tuesday 18th June
in the Clinical Education Centre at Southport hospital between
12.30pm and 2.30pm.
There will also be the opportunity to ask experts from across
Merseyside and Cheshire about clinical research in the NHS.
"Hundreds of patients take part in research studies in our
Trust every year, which contributes to better medical care not only
here in the UK but across the world. It demonstrates our commitment to
improving the quality of care we offer and helps our staff stay
abreast of the latest treatment options." said Dr Paul Mansour,
Director of Research and Innovation at Southport and Ormskirk
Hospital NHS Trust.
In the year to 31 March, Trust staff and patients took part in 136
clinical research studies across 25 medical specialities.
Dr Mansour added:- "Our Trust takes clinical research
seriously because it's good for patients, good for staff and good
for the NHS."
Booking is not necessary; just come along on the day. Light
refreshments will be provided.
City region
lobbies government over European funding
LIVERPOOL City Region is
lobbying the Government in a bid to prevent the loss of hundreds of
millions of pounds in vital regeneration funding.
It follows the Government's decision to take £650 million of
European Union funding which the European Commission had awarded to
England for 2014 to 2020 and reallocate it to Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland.
It includes an estimated £350 million which the European Commission
had ring-fenced for poorer areas (known as transition regions) such
as Liverpool City Region.
It had been estimated the City region would receive around £400
million from 2014 to 2020, but following the Government's amendments
there are fears this could be slashed by up to a half.
Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of Liverpool City Region Cabinet, Joe
Anderson, said:- "European funding has been critical to the
successful regeneration of the City region over the last couple of
decades.
Everywhere you look, from the Arena and Convention Centre to the
School of Tropical Medicine, John Lennon Airport to the Cruise Liner
Terminal, there are physical reminders of the difference that
funding from the European Union has made.
It has created helped create thousands of jobs and boosted the
economy to the tune of many tens of millions of pounds.
Our big fear is that we could lose a massive chunk of the share of
funding we expected to receive as the extra money allocated for
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will come specifically from
cash allocated for more deprived areas including ours.
In effect this means that we will lose out while wealthier and more
prosperous areas of England, many of which have never previously
received EU funds, will gain at the expense of poorer areas. I
outlined my concerns to European Commissioners during a visit to
Brussels earlier this year, and we are now taking our case to the UK
Government."
From 2007 to 2013 Liverpool City Region received around £460 million
from the European Social Fund and European Regional Development
Fund.
Representatives from Liverpool City Region will join representatives
from Sheffield City Region in meeting Business Minister Michael
Fallon on Monday, 10 June 2013, to argue that a safety net should be
applied to the funding allocations to limit the reduction.
This is the rationale the Government used to transfer the money to
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Fury and strike action threat
THE University of Liverpool
was accused of putting a gun to the head of 3,000 staff who face
dismissal unless they accept inferior working terms and conditions,
which would include weekend, evening and Bank Holiday working
without recompense.
The University and College Union (UCU) said the university's
proposals, which affect 2,803 staff in roles such as student
recruitment, clerical posts, librarians and computer staff, had
infuriated its members and it could not rule out strike action.
The controversial changes, which would increase staff working at
weekends, evenings and Bank Holidays without overtime or the
appropriate time off in lieu, had been subject to long-running talks
between the union and the university. However, the university has
broken off the talks and is now seeking to simply impose its plans.
The university has announced it is serving notice of a 45 day
consultation period. In a letter to staff it warned that unless
staff agree to the changes they face three months' notice of
dismissal and then being rehired on the new unfavourable conditions.
UCU North West regional official, Martyn Moss, said:- "It's a
very strange approach to negotiation that the university has
adopted. It says it wants to negotiate with us, but if we refuse to
accept what it wants then it's going to try and force it through
anyway by dismissing staff and putting them on new contracts with
inferior terms. It is essentially putting a gun to the head of
almost 3,000 of its staff. Staff are not keen on increasing
their evening, bank holiday and weekend working, particularly
without any guarantees of recompense, and are extremely angry. We'll
be consulting them about what steps they wish to take and we cannot
rule out industrial action."
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