£1 million Vision Zero Innovation Fund launched as part of ambition to end road deaths in Greater Manchester

A new Vision Zero Innovation Fund has launched to support progress towards Greater Manchester’s Vision Zero ambition to eradicate death and life-changing injuries on the roads by 2040.

The city-region announced its Vision Zero ambition earlier this year, with a target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by the end of the decade. The new Vision Zero Innovation Fund will be used to support partners of the city-region’s Safer Roads Greater Manchester Partnership on engineering, education, training, publicity, or enforcement projects aimed at delivering that ambition.

Greater Manchester’s road safety partners launched the £1 million fund at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s (GMFRS) state-of-the-art Training and Safety Centre in Bury.

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, said:

“Deaths and serious injuries on our roads have been normalised for too long and there is no other form of transport where this would be tolerated.

“Road casualties have an immeasurable impact on families, friends and communities. This is why we’ve set out our Vision Zero ambition – to end all road deaths and life-changing injuries.

“Bold action is needed. Our Vision Zero Innovation Fund is just one part of our commitment to delivering this change. I’m excited to see the new and innovative ways our emergency services, local authorities and wider partners can work together to achieve this.”

Almost 10,000 people have been killed or seriously injured on Greater Manchester’s roads since 2014 and in 2023 alone, 754 people were seriously injured and 45 lost their lives. In 2022, road casualties in the city-region cost almost £500m in medical, emergency services, damage to property, insurance costs and lost output, and this does not account for the devastating human cost of losing a loved one. GMFRS also now attends more road traffic collisions than it does fires.

Dave Russel, Chief Fire Officer of GMFRS and Chair of the Vision Zero Strategic Steering Group, said:

“Our service is fully committed to working together with our partners to deliver the change we need to eradicate deaths and life-changing injuries from our roads and the Innovation Fund will support us on that journey.

“Over the past 12 months, our crews have attended nearly 2,000 road traffic collisions and too often witness the heartbreaking consequences of road traffic collisions on the families, friends and loved ones of those involved.

“By working together and taking decisive action, we can prevent unnecessary deaths and life-changing injuries and make Greater Manchester a safer place for us all.”

The Vision Zero Innovation Fund is part of a wider commitment by road safety partners across the city-region to eliminate all traffic fatalities and life-changing injuries while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all.