THE Mayor of Malton will lead a campaign to North Yorkshire Council (NYC) tomorrow morning (Wednesday) calling for the authority to adopt target of zero deaths or serious road injuries by 2030.

Road safety campaigners will converge outside County Hall in Northallerton, to press the council to take action with clear time lines to reduce killed seriously injured on our roads.

Malton Mayor Cllr Conlan said: "We are petitioning City of York Council & N Yorks Combined Authority to reduce traffic harm by adopting the Vision Zero target of zero killed or serious road injuries by 2030, with an intermediate target of 50% fewer vulnerable road user KSI's by 2027. We call for Safe Systems and traffic reduction; key is a 20mph default speed limit in built-up areas across the region and speed reduction on all road classes, including arterials where people are."

"With the joint Mayoral authority of York and North Yorkshire taking control of a huge transport budget as soon as next May when election take place for a new Mayor, York and North Yorkshire campaigners have joined forces to urge both City of York and North Yorkshire Councils to work with the new Mayor to bring about serious reductions in killed and seriously injured, and "not tinker around the edges."

Cllr Conlan, who has led the road safety campaign 20s Plenty for North Yorkshire supported by the parish councils of 153 parishes, said Action Vision Zero and 20s plenty were not political.

He said: "For too long both York and North Yorkshire have failed to fully utilise their powers to bring about speed reduction through reducing speed limits to safe levels, and for enforcement, with the joint police authority for City and County one of only two in the country to refuse a Freedom of Information Request to reveal how many speeding fines have been issued.

"Current targets of eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by 2040 is too far away to galvanise action now with our current councillors and officers, so we are urging targets to be brought forward, for 50% reduction by 2027 and elimination by 2030.

"If both councils are to take this issue seriously, it has to include a 20mph default speed limit in built-up areas across the region and speed reduction on all road classes, including arterials where people are.

"It also values our settlements as places to live in and be, quieter and safer to get around on foot, cycle as well as by car, and is fairer for all road users young old and disabled, and our roads not just a way to get from A to B as quickly as you can and to hell with the consequences.

"When I see multiple instances of parents running with small children to get across a busy 40mph road in Amotherby to get to school, I know something is very wrong about our current set of limits, where families daily take their lives into their hands just to cross the road going through their village or town, and some elderly are so frightened they dare not, being that much slower and even more vulnerable: those over 70 as a group are 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured as pedestrians than those under 70."

In September most roads in Wales that were currently 30mph became 20mph, although councils have been able to impose exemptions and have done so.

First minister Mark Drakeford said the 20mph will "will lead to fewer deaths" and "fewer accidents".

He also defended the £32.5m price-tag, saying its a "one-off cost" and will save the health service "£92m every single year".