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Covering the news in and around Merseyside

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Issue Date:- 07 December 2008

Hard shoulder survival advice from traffic officers

THE Highways Agency Traffic Officers in the North West are backing a new campaign to cut accidents in the motorway hard shoulder and save lives.

New Surviving the Hard Shoulder leaflets have been produced by SURVIVE - Safe Use of Roadside Verges in Vehicular Emergencies - a partnership comprising the Highways Agency, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and representatives from the breakdown and recovery industry including the AA, RAC and Green Flag.

The aim of SURVIVE is to help improve the safety of those who are required to work on the hard shoulder and members of the public who find themselves on the hard shoulder after a break down or collision.

The new, full-colour illustrated leaflets give great tips on how to behave during a hard shoulder break down as well as advice on who to call on for help.

Hundreds of the leaflets are set to be handed out over the next few months by on road patrols of Traffic Officers from the North West Traffic Officer Service which is run from the North West Regional Control Centre on the M6 at Newton-le-Willows.

It is from the RCC that control room Traffic Officers answer calls from the orange emergency roadside telephones in the hard shoulder. Calling the RCC from one of the phones - always on the same side of the road as the broken down vehicle - is one of the first things anyone involved in a breakdown should do as calls from boxes ensure Traffic officers can quickly find the location of the vehicle.

Standing in the hard shoulder, behind the safety barrier if possible, rather than sitting in the vehicle is also a vital piece of safety advice.

The new leaflets also feature advice for disabled drivers breaking down as well as key dos and don'ts of hard shoulder behaviour.

For example, drivers should never stop in the hard shoulder to use a mobile telephone - nor to go to the toilet, attend to children, check a map, exercise a pet or take a break.

More than half the 340 daily incidents attended by Highways Agency Traffic Officers in the North West are down to mechanical break downs or - avoidably - running out of fuel in the hard shoulder.

Jamie Carr, Network Operations Manager in charge of the North West Traffic Officer Service, said:- "The hard shoulder is there for use in an emergency only and the leaflet gives vital advice to anyone who finds themselves in what can be an intimidating situation.

Obviously the leaflet warns against people stopping needlessly - like reading a map or even taking a nap - but the main aim is to help people to take the right course of action when they do break down in an emergency."


There are six 'outstations' across the region from where Highways Traffic Officers patrol the North West motorway network. Every outstation has been given a supply of Surviving the Hard Shoulder leaflets which will be handed out when Traffic Officers speak to drivers in the hard shoulder or at special events such as visits to motorway service areas.

Letters to editor:- "Family history... can you help?"

"I wonder if any of your readers might be able to help with my family history search for my Brandwood relatives. I am seeking information about Clarrie Brandwood, her husband Joseph and mother May, who all lived in Southport in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

I would be delighted to hear from your readers who remember any of these Brandwoods."
Susan Slater, susan.slater@tesco.net.

Merseyside's Public transport gets entertaining!

IN the run up to the city’s official celebrations for 2008 on 11 January and 12 January 2008, many public transport routes will join in the fun. Over the next few days, in association with Mersey Travel and Arriva, everyday journeys around Merseyside will be seen in a very different light when a variety of entertainers and musicians will be hopping on and off buses and trains around the city.

Leader of Liverpool City Council and Deputy Chair of The Liverpool Culture Company Councillor Warren Bradley said that:- "This is an exciting idea that will brighten up the daily travel around Merseyside.  It is also fantastic that it will not only to entertain locals, but also tourists, providing even more of a festive atmosphere as we celebrate Capital Of Culture."

If you spot the band of entertainers on their travels around Merseyside, send in your pictures to us at Southport Reporter!

Another record year for JLA over run up to Capital of Culture

THE end of year figures released on 4 January 2008 has revealed that over 5.5 million passengers chose to use Liverpool John Lennon Airport in 2007, once again breaking all previous records.  This represents an 11% increase in passenger business compared to 2006 with over half a million additional passengers using Liverpool.  Once again this continued growth can be largely attributed to the increase in the number of destinations available from Liverpool particularly across Europe, with many new services introduced by a number of airlines throughout 2007.

In June 2003, when Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary at the time announced that Liverpool would be European Capital of Culture 2008, there were just 13 scheduled services from the Airport and an annual throughput of just over 3 million passengers. At the time, the Airport said its goal for 2008 was to see the City linked directly by air to as many European destinations as possible.

Over the past four and a half years, considerable progress has been made by the Airport in realising this aim. In Capital of Culture year, JLA will have scheduled services to over 60 European destinations and annual passenger throughput has increased by 76% since the announcement in 2003, with 2.4 million more passengers choosing to fly via JLA.

European visitors now have the greatest possible opportunity to visit the City during Capital of Culture Year and with many flights operated by low cost carriers such easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air, they can travel to the region at some of  the lowest fares too.

Neil Pakey, Managing Director of JLA commented:- “Since Tessa Jowell announced Liverpool was to be Capital of Culture, the Airport's commercial team have worked tirelessly to ensure we have as many European links as possible for ’08. This ensures it is international visitors and not just locals who will enjoy all the activities ’08 will have on offer.   2007 has been another excellent year not only for the Airport but for the region as a whole and I am confident that over the next 12 months even more new services will have been announced giving more and more visitors from across Europe the opportunity to visit the region in 2008 and beyond.”

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