Bucks residents and road users are being urged to think before they drink over the festive period, in a campaign being run by Thames Valley Police and supported by Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB).
Together, they will be carrying out random roadside drink, speed and seatbelt checks throughout the day and night across the Thames Valley.
Last year's campaign saw 108 arrests relating to drink-driving in Buckinghamshire, with around 9,000 breath tests carried out in total during this period across the Thames Valley.
In addition to roadside checks, TfB is encouraging residents to download a free app designed to help drivers avoid a 'morning after' drink-drive conviction.
Many people do not realise how long after a boozy Christmas party they may still be unfit to drive - even the morning after - and the app has been developed to give an idea of when you will be alcohol free.
The app, called the ‘Morning After Calculator’, presents a wide range of alcoholic drinks and the user enters the drinks he or she is consuming (or has consumed). The app calculates roughly when the alcohol will have passed through their body, allowing one hour for each unit of alcohol, plus an additional hour for the alcohol to enter the bloodstream, and then rounds up the calculation to the nearest half hour.
The app bases its calculation from the time the user stops drinking, not when they start drinking. While accepting this is perhaps over-cautious, the Morning After team says it would “rather be safe than sorry”.
The 'hours before driving' calculation is not based on any drink drive limit - it is the length of time when the alcohol in the drinks the person has consumed is likely to have passed through their body completely.
Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transport at Buckinghamshire County Council said, “At this time of year many of us will be attending events with family and friends. Christmas should be a time for relaxing and enjoying ourselves with many happy memories, and I would encourage you not to drink and drive. It would be heartbreaking to make this a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons, so if you are drinking any amount of alcohol, even one drink - please leave the car at home and make alternative arrangements.”
Posters and flyers to support the campaign can be downloaded from:
http://morning-after.org.uk/.
The app can be downloaded from:
Google Play store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stennik.morningafter
iTunes store
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/morning-after-calculator/id980548985?mt=8
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Friday, 11 December 2015
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Vision for county’s transport future
A vision for the future of transport in Buckinghamshire goes live today (Monday December 7). And residents and businesses are being asked to say what they think about it.
It’s published by the County Council, and comes in the form of a new draft Buckinghamshire Local Transport Plan – a blueprint for travel covering all types of transport, looking ahead to 2036.
An extended public consultation starts today, through the County Council’s online ‘Have Your Say’ web page, and runs until January 29
Launching the consultation, Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transport, said good transport systems were essential to grow Buckinghamshire’s economy, serve its residents and businesses well, and make the county a great place to live and work.
‘Planning for the future of transport in the county is critically important, and we don’t get a second chance at it,’ said Mark. ‘I want to make sure we really understand the people of Buckinghamshire. With their feedback I believe we’ll be able make this a practical working plan for change, that will benefit everyone in the county.’
He said that as well as supporting good roads, public transport, cycleways and footpaths, the draft Local Transport Plan aimed to:
• Encourage links to local, national and international destinations that promote a flourishing economy.
• Empower communities to support their own local transport solutions.
• Enable and promote travel choices that improve people’s health.
‘The draft Plan is very clear about maintaining and enhancing our county’s special environment, and helping residents and businesses thrive and develop to become one of the strongest and most productive economies in the country,’ said Mark.
The draft Plan also supports a number of vital transport improvements; for example East-West Rail, which Mark said would stimulate an estimated £72 million boost to the local economy. It would open up a public transport cul-de-sac for the county and bring connections to the north, west and east of the country within convenient reach of the whole of the county.
Achieving the Plan's aims will require strong partnerships with central government, the district councils, communities and businesses, said Mark, along with innovative approaches to make the best use of taxpayers’ money in a climate of austerity.
A link to the ‘Have Your Say’ survey can be found at https://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgConsultationDisplay.aspx?ID=1117 and those with no internet connection can see it at Buckinghamshire libraries.
It’s published by the County Council, and comes in the form of a new draft Buckinghamshire Local Transport Plan – a blueprint for travel covering all types of transport, looking ahead to 2036.
An extended public consultation starts today, through the County Council’s online ‘Have Your Say’ web page, and runs until January 29
Launching the consultation, Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transport, said good transport systems were essential to grow Buckinghamshire’s economy, serve its residents and businesses well, and make the county a great place to live and work.
‘Planning for the future of transport in the county is critically important, and we don’t get a second chance at it,’ said Mark. ‘I want to make sure we really understand the people of Buckinghamshire. With their feedback I believe we’ll be able make this a practical working plan for change, that will benefit everyone in the county.’
He said that as well as supporting good roads, public transport, cycleways and footpaths, the draft Local Transport Plan aimed to:
• Encourage links to local, national and international destinations that promote a flourishing economy.
• Empower communities to support their own local transport solutions.
• Enable and promote travel choices that improve people’s health.
‘The draft Plan is very clear about maintaining and enhancing our county’s special environment, and helping residents and businesses thrive and develop to become one of the strongest and most productive economies in the country,’ said Mark.
The draft Plan also supports a number of vital transport improvements; for example East-West Rail, which Mark said would stimulate an estimated £72 million boost to the local economy. It would open up a public transport cul-de-sac for the county and bring connections to the north, west and east of the country within convenient reach of the whole of the county.
Achieving the Plan's aims will require strong partnerships with central government, the district councils, communities and businesses, said Mark, along with innovative approaches to make the best use of taxpayers’ money in a climate of austerity.
A link to the ‘Have Your Say’ survey can be found at https://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgConsultationDisplay.aspx?ID=1117 and those with no internet connection can see it at Buckinghamshire libraries.
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