Tunbridge Wells CSU

Twita.org.uk will soon be up and running but until then, you can find out all you need to on this page!

TWITA is a road safety campaign that aims to reduce the number of casualties from road traffic collisions in the borough of Tunbridge Wells.

Tunbridge Wells is an extremely safe place to live. From October 2011 to September 2012, Tunbridge Wells had the lowest volume of crime in Kent thanks to an annual reduction of 8%. You are less likely to become a victim of crime here than anywhere else in the county

In 2011, however, the number of casualties from road traffic collisions on the roads of Tunbridge Wells increased by 22% and the number of people killed or seriously injured went up by 41%; that’s 48 people who suffered life-ending or life-changing collisions on our roads. Five of these casualties were children aged 16 or under.

The Kent Crime and Victimisation Survey run by Kent Police revealed in September 2011 that almost a third of Tunbridge Wells residents, who were surveyed, considered speeding vehicles to be a cause for concern; higher than many other areas in Kent.

Road safety matters.

Cllr Miss Caroline Derrick – Chair of TWITA

‘TWITA was founded in 2011 after I heard about a fatal car crash in North Farm involving young adults.  This sad news depressed me and the more I learnt, the more concerned I became about the young lives that are being needlessly cut short.

Since then, with the help of our partners, we have done much to improve road safety in the borough.  One of our priorities has been to boost road safety education, particularly for children and young people.  I’m proud that we’ve been able to purchase a road safety car to help enforce road rules in problem areas.  There is, however, still a lot that can be done to make our roads safer for everyone, and we’ll continue our work to ensure this becomes a reality.  I am looking forward to campaigning in 2013 for the introduction of 20mph zones around primary schools.

We know that road safety is one of the issues residents are most concerned about.  We need your ongoing help to ensure that Tunbridge Wells is Traffic Aware, and the shocking number of road traffic casualties in our borough is significantly reduced.’

 Our achievements so far include:

• As part of Road Safety Week in 2011 and 2012, we presented free road safety shows at the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre for more than 1,500 primary school children, and organised a road safety roadshow to tour primary schools across the borough – raising awareness among thousands of pupils.
• Supported other national campaigns by distributing posters and resources for display throughout the borough.
• Worked with our parters to orchestrate community information events, including a successful high profile campaign in Tunbridge Wells town centre.
• Helped Brownies from local Brownie packs to obtain their cycling and road safety badges.
• Organised community speed-checks in problem areas highlighted by residents.
• Attended community events to talk to residents about road safety.
• Purchased a safety car to enforce school keep clears around primary schools in particular, and other areas where safety is a concern.

MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark

‘TWITA is doing a fantastic job in raising awareness of road safety issues in Tunbridge Wells – it is vital that we work together to try and reduce the number of accidents on our roads.  I must congratulate Caroline Derrick on all her hard work getting this campaign underway and I look forward to supporting it over the forthcoming year.’

How TWITA can help you

We need you to tell us your concerns and help ensure we target our resources where they are needed most.  If you are concerned about the speed of road traffic in your area, dangerous driving, dangerous parking or any other aspect of road safety and you want to do something about it, get in touch!

We can:

• Involve the relevant agencies to address your issues.
• Help you to set up a speed-check event in your area.
• Deliver road safety education for children within schools or to community groups such as Brownies or Cubs.
• Provide help and resources to enable you to advertise road safety messages in your area.
• Help publicise your event or campaign.

Please help us make sure Tunbridge Wells is Traffic Aware.

Contact:  roadsafety@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Wesbsite:  www.twita.org.uk

You can also follow TWITA on Twitter