02.03.10  Gloucestershire’s new Motorcycle Coordinator is certainly well qualified to advise the county’s motorbike users on safety issues. Chris Harrison will be talking to riders of all kinds, from 50cc moped riders through to older leisure bikers about motorcycle training courses, using protective clothing and  riding safely.

Chris, said; “I had my first bike, a Vespa, when I was 16 and a 125cc at 17 but ended up crashing both of them!  I then got my HGV licence and drove a truck for many years.  As is typical of many men my age, I bought a sports bike and, even though I was an experienced rider, I decided to get a riding qualification.  This led onto me applying for the motorcycle coordinator role.

“One of the target groups I’ll be working with are older riders, who perhaps haven’t ridden a motorbike since their youth.  They are at higher risk of accidents because  motorbikes now are much more powerful and the roads are busier. 

“But I will also be targeting young and inexperienced riders and will be going into schools and colleges to talk to young people about the dangers of riding illegally or in an anti-social way and the benefits of safety training.”Chris will become a familiar face at bike shows and festivals throughout the county and is available to give talks to groups about motorcycle and moped safety. To book a talk, please contact Chris on 01452 427585.

05.02.10   On Monday 1st February Gloucestershire County Council officially launched ‘Operation Road Rescue’ to help fix and repair roads damaged by the severe winter weather. Follow this link to find out more about the County Council’s attack on pot holes; what causes them, how they are being fixed, and how they’re prioritising the work. There’s even  a short video to watch.

The 2010 dates for Better Biking have been released. The course takes place on two consecutive Sundays between 9am and 4pm and the venue is Gloucester Community Fire Station, Eastern Avenue, Gloucester. Dates are: April 18 & 25^th; May 23 & 30^th; July 4 & 11^th; September 5th & 12^th; October 3 & 10th. For more information or to book, call 01452 425557. Further info

23.12.09 The Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership, Gloucestershire Constabulary, the 29 Regiment Royal Logistics Corp and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue have been working together to deliver an important Christmas message. On December 15, the Regiment held an information morning to make soldiers aware of the dangers and consequences of drink driving, as part of the countywide Christmas campaign.

During the morning the soldiers were given presentations by Tracey Wilson from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, PC Simon Ross from Gloucestershire Constabulary and Garry Handley from the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership. Using the theme of Christmas past, present and future they conveyed the importance of the drink drive campaign’s key message, ‘none for the road’, by discussing their personal experiences of working at the scene of a road traffic collision caused by drink driving, the effect this has on them and the impact on those involved and their friends and families.

Garry said; “When we arranged to visit the regiment we discovered something rather poignant that emphasised the importance of the drink drive campaign’s message to the soldiers and everyone involved. We discovered that 29 Regiment consists of just over 400 people, which is almost identical to the number of people that were killed in drink drive road collisions last year. It was shocking to look at such a large group of people and think that the size of the group replicated that of all the lives lost. This really highlighted the important role that we all play in keeping the county’s roads safe by driving responsibly and this is why we are urging the whole community to take heed of the ‘none for the road’ message in this year’s Christmas drink drive campaign.”

15.12.09 Many parents will be buying their children bikes for Christmas and are being asked to consider more than just the style, size and colour.

The road safety partnership ask that parents should take into account the following points:

• Choose your child’s  bike with care and get advice from a good dealer
• Buy them a cycle helmet that is the right size, that they like and they will wear
• Train them in basic cycle control away from the road
• Teach them good road sense by setting a good example
• Cycle along with your child in front of you, that way you can see them, talk to them and protect them from following traffic
• Ensure they take part in an organised Cyclist Training Scheme. Ask your school for details.
• Whatever the pressures, don’t let them out on their own until you are certain they can cope
• Make sure they are always easily seen and wear bright, high visibility clothing
• Enjoy cycling with your child – it’ll make all the difference

15.12.09 Gloucestershire County Council is undertaking a consultation exercise as part of the development of the next Local Transport Plan to ask what priorities people want to see the Council focus on in the years ahead. If you want to help define future priorities this is a way to put your views forward – via  a short questionnaire. Follow the link to the Council’s web page “Get Talking Transport”, and at the bottom of the page is a link called “How do I take part?”. The section most relevant to the Partnership is entitled, “Health and Road Safety”. http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=95796

8.12.09- Kelly, 26 from Gloucester, crashed her car after misjudging a junction. She caused injury to herself, wrote off her car, and was convicted of drink driving. Kelly helped to launch our annual drink driving campaign today and said: “I’d had a few drinks but because I’d eaten and quite a bit of time had passed, I thought I would have been all right to drive home. I was wrong.”

“I have to rely on lifts to and from work and even had to move home because my house was to far from a bus stop. The gym, the cinema and the shops are all much harder to get to. I’ve lost friends over it. This campaign is important because it sends home the message that a drink drive conviction can affect your whole life.”

25.11.09 Gloucestershire’s new Road Safety Partnership was only launched in March, but already its reputation is spreading far and wide.  A film crew from Poland spent two days with members of the partnership filming a feature on good driving habits to show motorists back home some of the ideas used in other countries to improve safety on the roads. It’s one of a series of films sponsored by Polish car maker Skoda. Spokesman Tomasz Piasny said, “The idea is to go to other countries in Europe to meet experts, policemen, ordinary drivers who tell the story of road safety in their countries.

“We look for statistics and best practices in terms of teaching/instructing driving licence applicants, unique ideas that improve safety a lot and to show Polish viewers (drivers, authorities…etc.) that there are many ideas that improve safety that have been applied abroad for a long time now”.

The film covered SAGE; the older drivers’ assessment, the driver improvement course, the drink drive rehabilitation course, as well as Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Team and Fire and Rescue services.

23.11.09 During “Road Safety” week, the Road Safety Partnership will be undertaking a range of activities, including:

• Organising and delivering a major occupational road risk day for all staff at E-on, Gloucester. Partnership work involving the private sector, Police, Fire and Rescue and Road Safety.
• Organising and delivering a road risk workshop for drivers working for Young Gloucestershire. Three hour theory session followed by practical driver assessments.
• Running two drink drive rehabilitation courses – one on Monday, and another on Saturday. Both happen to be the last day of four day courses. Clients will have been with us for 20 hours.
• Concluding a driver improvement course that took place on Friday and Saturday 20/21^st.
• Assessing about 10 drivers on various themes could include assessing older drivers through our SAGE scheme, TAXI Drivers, company drivers, etc.
• Developing and consulting on a local scheme to advise drivers to change behaviour at a junction.
• Supporting a joint road safety operation in Gloucester, between the residents and police.
• Attending the first few days of the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC, discussing the “ride it right” routes in Gloucestershire and the training opportunities available to riders.
• Providing cycle training at Heywood and Bournside Secondary schools, as well at Calton Junior School in Gloucester.
• Visiting Berry Hill Primary school to talk to years 3 and 6 about pedestrian and cycle safety, and Whaddon Youth Club on the evening of the 24^th November.
• Road Safety Officers will also be visiting Wyedean School over two consecutive days to discuss road safety with year 10 students.

11.11.09 When ladies from Gloucester’s Muslim community decided they should “get on their bikes”, the Partnership had no idea it would prove so popular! Whether new to two wheels or more experienced cyclists, the ladies have been enjoying regular lessons from a team of women instructors have helped them become much safer and more confident road users.  Some could even become instructors themselves as they are getting additional training to help them get non-cyclists up and running.

Don Muir, the Partnership’s cycling coordinator said, “Women generally feel more intimidated by today’s traffic conditions, while minority groups can have more cultural barriers to taking up this type of training. That makes it a double challenge for these ladies and we are doing all we can to help them get the training they need to develop the skills to overcome those barriers”.

The scheme was launched in conjunction with Amina Kathrada at the Friendship Café in Barton Street; and Bren McInerney at the Barton and Tredworth Community Trust.