With Sun Awareness Week taking place between 3–9 May, Cats Protection would like to advise cat owners to be aware of the risks posed to their cat by the sun.
Pale-coloured cats, or those with unpigmented white noses or ears, are particularly at risk from the sun’s rays which can cause sunburn and skin cancer.
Those affected can suffer long term damage including, in severe cases, having to have their ear tips removed to prevent the cancer from spreading.
Following a few simple tips owners can help protect their cat from the harmful effects of the sun. These include keeping them indoors on sunny days between 10am and 3pm, asking your vet for advice about suitable sunscreen and ensuring you provide plenty of shade to enable your cat to shelter from the sun’s rays.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Sarah Elliott BVetMed MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) MRCVS
A campaign has launched across city schools encouraging parents, carers and families to take extra care at the school gates when they return this week.
Ahead of all pupils resuming in-school learning from today (Tuesday 20 April), we’re sharing advice on steps to take to help limit the potential spread of COVID and make sure schools and childcare settings can remain open.
Posters, leaflets and social media posts are encouraging people to wear face coverings, stay two metres apart and to stick to one adult when dropping off and picking up children, as well as discouraging car sharing and urging neighbouring households to make sure hedges are cut back to give extra space.
Every school in Edinburgh has been assessed for improvements to help families physically distance too. Measures have been put in place at every Council and independent school where extra space is needed to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely.
Amongst the changes are road closures, prohibition of motor vehicles, widened footpaths or better signage, as well as the removal of guardrails and new access gates to aid one-way systems.
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “I’m sure children and young people across the city will be looking forward to the return to school and a sense of normality, and the chance to interact with their classmates.
“While this is a positive step in the lifting of lockdown restrictions, we must continue to observe guidance and take care when mixing with other people. Over the last year we’ve been working hard to introduce measures outside of every school to help children and carers walk, cycle and wheel safely and easily while physically distancing.
“We’re also encouraging everyone to follow advice to limit the spread of the virus, helping to make sure children can continue enjoying being back in the classroom.
In February we also introduced a temporary ‘Quiet Connection’ between Greenbank and the Meadows, providing a safer route for children travelling to nearby schools South Morningside Primary School, St Peter’s RC Primary School, James Gillespie’s Primary and High Schools, Bruntsfield Primary School, Boroughmuir High School and Edinburgh Steiner School.
Jessica Cameron, whose children go to James Gillespie’s Primary School, said: “My family really appreciate the new quiet route to the Meadows, which covers a significant portion of our trip to school.
“With traffic reduced on Whitehouse Loan, we have more options for getting to school safely. My kids love cycling and riding scooters, and they’re building their skills and confidence while not having to worry about avoiding cars. With more space, it’s easy for us to socially distance if we run into their friends on the way to school.”
All primary school pupils returned full-time from 15 March, with secondary school pupils resuming in-school learning on a part-time blended basis.
Earlier this month the Scottish Government confirmed all primary and secondary pupils would return to the classroom full-time as part of its easing of lockdown from 12 April (Edinburgh’s Easter holidays run until 20 April), with restrictions in place.
Police Scotland is working with the The City of Edinburgh Council and Maritime and Coastguard Agency to help make Portobello Beach safer for all.
This week, the Council will install new numbered signs on the top of the existing groyne beach defences at Portobello Beach.
In an emergency, direct experience tells us roads signs cannot be easily seen from the beach so the new signs will be much more visible, improving safety.
They measure approx. 600mm high and 450mm wide.
Numbered 1 to 6, the emergency services can use these numbered signs to plot your location in an emergency (see map).
Marker 1 – Pipe Lane Marker 2 – Bath Street Marker 3 – Bellfield Street Marker 4 – John Street Marker 5 – Bedford Terrace Marker 6 – End of promenade at Joppa Road
Police will continue working with our partners as the year continues at Portobello.
In a coastal emergency, please dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
As trade unionists, we stand united against the epidemic of male violence. We also stand against the disproportionate threat of male violence faced by women, by Black and migrant communities, by LGBT+ individuals and by disabled people.
Violence against women and girls is rooted in structural inequalities and power imbalances between men and women. Women’s experience of violence is shaped by other factors such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, immigration status and disability. Experiencing intersecting inequalities compounds the threat of violence women face.
Male violence threatens women in all areas of their lives – in our homes, workplaces, and in public and digital spaces. Institutional and systemic failings enable and empower perpetrators and deny women safety and justice.
In the UK:
97 per cent of young women have been sexually harassed
One in two women are sexually harassed in the workplace
80 per cent of women of all ages have been sexually harassed in public
Women who report rape have a less than 4 per cent chance of it ever being heard in court
Three women are killed each week as a result of domestic abuse homicides
Women are not responsible for the actions of men.
We stand with survivors of male violence. With the families of Sarah Everard, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry and countless others who have lost a loved one to violence.
Government must act now to dismantle institutional sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination.
To start that work, we call on Ministers to:
1. Implement a new mandatory duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work and ratify ILO Convention No.190
2. Include migrant women within the Domestic Abuse Bill provisions and ensure safe reporting routes for women with insecure migration status
3. Reverse the cuts to public services and ensure all relevant public sector staff receive enhanced training on preventing and responding to violence against women
4. Provide long-term funding commitments to support the provision of vital, life-saving services for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence that meet the level of need, including specialised by-and-for BME, LBT+ and disabled women’s services
5. Draw up a cross-departmental action plan to tackle the structural inequalities experienced by women, Black communities, LGBT+ and disabled people in work, health, education, housing and justice
We demand safety. We demand justice. We demand equality.
With P1 – P3 children and some senior pupils going back to school next week, Deputy First Minister appealed to parents to play their part in making the return a success when he led yesterday’s press briefing:
Mr Swinney said: “As you know, Monday will see children returning to early learning and childcare, and to primaries 1 to 3. In addition, a very limited number of senior phase students will return to secondary school, for essential work which is required for national qualifications, and which can only be done within school.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who are working hard to prepare for this return – that of course includes teachers, childcare providers, school staff and school leaders. Your efforts are hugely appreciated by me and by the Scottish Government.
This partial return of education is an important milestone. And there are two specific points I want to make about it today.
The first point concerns testing in schools.
As senior phase pupils, teachers and school staff start to return, we will be making at-home lateral flow tests available to them, twice a week.
Pilot testing programmes have been running in a small number of schools, in recent weeks. And we are using what we’ve learned from this, to roll the programme out across the country.
As part of that, we have been working closely with the UK Government to get test kits into schools. This process has obviously been affected by the severe weather that we’ve experienced in recent days.
However, I can confirm that around 2,500 schools have now received testing kits. And we expect any remaining schools will receive their allocations either today or early in next week.
On Tuesday, we issued comprehensive testing guidance to schools and to local authorities.
And we are working with YoungScot to provide online information and support for senior phase pupils who want to take part in the testing programme.
This first phase of testing will include childcare staff based in schools. We are currently working through the practical arrangements for rolling out testing to childcare staff working in other types of nursery settings. And we will provide further details on those arrangements very soon.
Testing in schools is entirely voluntary – but I would encourage staff and pupils to take the tests, if you are offered them. The use of testing is a very important addition to the other safety mitigations which are already in place.
Of course, the evidence suggests that the key risk in re‑opening schools isn’t transmission within schools and nurseries – but the greater contact it leads to, among the adult population.
That brings me to the second point that I would like to make this afternoon. Parents and carers also have a really important role to play, in making the return of education a success.
For example, if you have been working from home up until now, please continue to do so – even if your children are back at school or nursery. Your employer has a legal obligation to support you in doing that.
Don’t use this return as an opportunity to meet up with other parents or friends.
And as a general rule, if you find that you are meeting up with more people than you were before, once your children have returned to school, then think about why that is. All of us should be minimizing our social contacts right now.
In addition, when you are out of the house – at the schools gates for example – please remember to follow the FACTS advice.
For all of us, that advice is perhaps more important now than ever before. We’re now dealing with a much more transmissible form of the virus. So we need to respond accordingly – by making it even more difficult for the virus to spread.
That’s why the Scottish Government is launching a new campaign – to highlight the importance of the FACTS advice and all of the other rules and guidelines. It emphasises the need for all of us to stay on our guard, even as our vaccination programme is rolled out.
So I want to take this opportunity to quickly run through the five golden rules of FACTS – and why they’re so important:
The first is face coverings. In enclosed spaces, face coverings help to protect you, and those around you. And remember, ahead of next week, face coverings should be worn by parents and carers, when collecting or dropping off your children from school.
Avoid crowded places. Covid thrives in a crowd. So by avoiding these kinds of situations, you minimize the chance of spreading the virus.
Clean hands and surfaces – good hand hygiene and regular cleaning remain really important. If you are leaving the house, take hand sanitizer with you – or use it wherever it is provided.
Two metre distancing from members of other households. You should always physically distance from other households. Again, that’s maybe especially important to remember as some schoolchildren return. For parents and carers, for example, you should remember to physically distance when you are walking to school or nursery, and when you’re dropping off or collecting your children.
And finally self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms. That is how we identify cases – and stop the spread. If you are identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid, you also need to book a test, and to self-isolate for ten days.
By following each of these points, we can help to make this initial return of education a success. And we can help to keep each other safe, as the vaccination programme does its work.
However, I want to emphasise that the basic rule at the moment remains the same. Right now, all of us should be staying at home.
In any level 4 area – that of course includes all of mainland Scotland – you must only leave the house for essential purposes.
You cannot meet up with other households indoors.
And if you meet up with someone outdoors, you can only meet with one other person from one other household.
These restrictions are really difficult – and I don’t underestimate that for a moment. But crucially, they are working.
Case numbers are coming down – so too are hospital admissions.
We need to see that trend continue – and so it’s vital that we continue to stick with the restrictions.
That is how we keep the virus under control.
And it’s how we give ourselves the best chance of returning – more quickly – to some form of normality.
So please continue to do the right thing.
Stay at home, protect the National Health Service and save lives.
And my thanks go once again, to everyone who is doing that.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed that only strictly limited numbers of children and young people will return to classrooms next week, backed by strengthened school safety guidance and an enhanced testing for staff and senior pupils.
Very limited numbers of S4 – S6 pupils who require to complete practical work in order to achieve an SQA certificate will also return from Monday. Pupils currently in classrooms – primarily the children of key workers and those considered vulnerable – will retain their places.
As part of the move, Ministers announced a package of support and safety steps including:
A further £40 million to help councils implement safety mitigations aligned with clinical advice
£60m of additional investment in education recovery, including employing more teachers, classroom support staff and facilities management
Twice weekly at-home testing to be offered to people who work in schools, early learning and childcare settings attached to schools, and senior phase pupils. Comprehensive testing guidance has been issued to schools and local authorities, and by the start of this week, more than 2,200 schools had received test kits, with deliveries to remaining schools continuing throughout the rest of this week. The programme will be expanded to stand alone childcare settings as soon as possible thereafter
All secondary pupils will be required to observe two metre physical distancing while in school and on school transport in the period immediately after the return. This is in addition to existing measures including the use of face coverings
Ministers also confirmed hopes that further detail on the next phase of school return could be provided on 2 March.
Ms Sturgeon said: “In terms of the order in which we exit lockdown, the Scottish Government has always made clear that education should be the priority. I can confirm today that, in line with the advice of our expert group, this first phase of the re-opening of schools will go ahead as planned on Monday.
“We will need to monitor the impact of this change very carefully before taking any further decisions. However, I hope we will be able to set out the second phase of school re-opening in two weeks’ time. I want to be clear, though, that the need to properly assess the impact of this limited re-opening means we do not envisage, at this stage, any further return to school before 15 March.
“As we consider these issues, we are of course doing everything we can to ensure that schools are as safe as possible for children, and for the education workforce. We are also publishing today updated school safety guidance, developed with the Education Recovery Group. This sets out a range of additional safety mitigations.
“And to help implement them, we will be providing local authorities and schools with an additional £40 million, as part of a wider £100 million package to accelerate school recovery. The Finance Secretary will confirm details later this afternoon. The success of this limited re-opening, and the prospect of getting more pupils back later in March, very much depends on all of us continuing to abide by the wider restrictions.
“So, for now – and I really cannot emphasise this point strongly enough – please treat Monday’s important milestone as a return to education for children only, and not as a return to greater normality for the rest of us.”
A further update is being published today on this year’s national qualifications. National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams 2021 have been replaced by an alternative certification model based on teachers’ judgement of evidence of each individual pupil’s attainment. The National Qualifications Group 2021 has agreed to extend the deadline for submitting provisional grades from 18 June to 25 June.
In recognition of the additional workload this will bring, teachers and lecturers involved in the delivery, assessment and moderation of National 5, Higher and Advanced Highers will receive an exceptional one-off payment of £400. There will also be two assessment support days available for all secondary teachers to give them extra time to engage with the alternative certification model.
The EIS has responded to the First Minister’s announcement on the return to school for nursery children, P1-P3 pupils and some senior phase secondary pupils and warned that significant concerns over school safety remain to be addressed.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “Everyone is supportive of face-to-face teaching returning as soon as possible – that should not override safety concerns, however, and teachers will be understandably nervous around today’s announcement.
“Community infection levels have fallen but still remain high in areas such as North Lanarkshire and at 6% the test positivity rate in Scotland remains above the level that the World Health Organisation recommends as indicative of the virus being under control.”
Mr Flanagan continued, “Against this backdrop, the EIS continues to believe that a blended learning model, with around half of pupils in classes at any one time to allow for physical distancing, would have provided a more cautious and more appropriate basis for pupils returning to schools.”
Mr Flanagan added, “Teachers remain concerned about the increased transmissibility of new Covid variants of the virus, especially aerosol transmission, and it is disappointing that the Scottish Government has not supported the introduction of medical grade face masks for staff, as they offer greater protection for wearers than simple face coverings.”
“It should reconsider its stance as a matter of urgency. We would also expect that staff with increased vulnerabilities will be advised to continue to work from home during this first phase.”
Mr Flanagan continued, “The introduction of twice weekly testing for staff and senior pupils is welcome, as is the requirement for senior pupils to physically distance.
“Looking forward, however, to any fuller return of pupils it is clear that the prioritisation of teachers and other school staff for vaccination remains a straightforward way to ensure in-school safety.
“If having schools open is a priority for the Scottish Government, then protecting school staff should also be a priority.
“Whilst Scottish Government timelines can appear to be self-fulfilling prophecies, there will need to be a meticulous analysis of this first phase and its impact, before any further return is progressed.”
Welcoming today’s news that some children will be returning to school, Mary Glasgow Children 1st Chief Executive said: “Schools must make space for friendships, feelings and fun as they start to reopen to more children from next Monday.
“It’s clear from Children 1st’s survey of over 1700 parents across Scotland that supporting children to cope with the emotional and social impact of lockdown is just as important as helping them catch up with their schoolwork.
“Focusing on children’s wellbeing as schools return was the clear first choice for 58% of parents, compared to 22% who said the top priority should be learning. If we support children with their wellbeing now, their academic learning will follow.”
Cllr Ian Perry, Education, Children and Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: This is the news many families across the city were waiting for and it’s great that they now have confirmation their children will be back in school next week.
“There’s very good home learning involving our young people, teaching staff and parents taking place but everyone knows there’s no better place for children than being back in school with their peers and learning face to face.
“For all other pupils home learning will continue and we hope we can welcome more pupils back in school soon as long as the virus continues to be suppressed. It’s really important we all continue to follow the guidance especially now pupils are back at school so parents are advised not to gather at school gates at drop off and pick up times. We all have to work together to help protect the NHS and save lives.”
Cllr Alison Dickie, Education, Children and Families Vice Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I’m delighted that our youngest pupils will be able to return to their schools and nurseries next week as these are really challenging times for many families.
“It’s so important for their learning and development that children are back in school where they belong. And very much for their mental health too. Our schools have been working hard preparing for their return and teaching staff are really looking forward to welcoming them back.
“We will make sure our schools continue to be safe learning and teaching environments for all our young people and staff by following the latest health advice. We very much want to see more pupils back in our schools as soon as it is safe to do so and the Scottish Government will make a further announcement on the phased return of pupils in two weeks time.”
The Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) says there is now “overwhelming industry support” for regulation of the electrical industry and is urging more professionals to make their voices heard.
The leading construction body insists protection of title is vital to protect consumers across Scotland – and points to a recent consultation in which 90% of respondents said they were in favour of the measure.
The consultation by MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston, which closed in November, received 141 submissions, 121 of which were fully supportive, 10 partially supportive, one neutral, three partially opposed and only three opposed.
Fiona Harper, The Secretary of the SJIB, said: “It was heartening to see such a high level of responses from a wide cross-section of the industry and to see so many organisations and individual electricians taking a real interest in the future of our industry.
“It was equally pleasing to see that the vast majority of the responses have been positive about the need for some form of regulation, and that there is overwhelming support for protection of title for the profession of electrician.
“The responses show that there is a real appetite to deliver a bill through the Scottish Parliament as soon as possible to secure the safety of consumers and the integrity of the electrical sector in Scotland.”
Ms Harper, who is also Director of Employment & Skills at SELECT, the trade association, also urged electrician to take part in a second consultation on regulation, launched by Jamie Hepburn, MSP, the Minister for Business, Fair work and Skills, which closes on 12 February.
She added: “These consultations are a major step towards a safer industry and we look forward to welcoming a new dawn for electricians and their customers in Scotland.
“At present, anyone can claim to be an electrician and work on an electrical installation. It cannot be right that those who have completed a full apprenticeship and who work in the industry in a safe and competent manner, can be compromised by those who call themselves electricians but who have no or inadequate qualifications.
“Industry research suggests that the net benefits to Scotland from proper regulation of electricians will total around £58million. We would also benefit from higher electrical standards, a reduction in the number of injuries and deaths, better functioning installations, less need for call backs or for poor/unsafe work to be repaired, leading to improved customer satisfaction.”
The first consultation was set up by Highland and Islands MSP Mr Halcro Johnston in a bid to present a case for regulation in advance of a proposed Holyrood Member’s Bill.
The Bill would be the culmination of a long-running campaign by the SJIB, SELECT and other leading industry bodies to make sure that those who work in the industry do so in a safe and competent manner.
SELECT has spent the past few years campaigning with other leading trade bodies for the introduction of regulation, with its many supporters listed on the online Wall of Support.
In its own response to the consultation, the SJIB said regulation would “significantly enhance consumer, client and public protection and safety while deterring unqualified individuals”.
The body, which sets the standards for employment and apprentice training in the electrical contracting sector, also said any new scheme would bring significant economic benefits and would assist in the drive for a “sustainable skills base”.
In the response, Ms Harper said: “The promotion and utilisation of registered electrical contractors with industry-recognised qualifications would address the scale of poorly installed, defective and unsafe electrical work.
“The SJIB already administers the ECS [Electrotechnical Certification Scheme] which accommodates and recognises the diverse array of electricians operating within the electrotechnical industry. With some additional safeguards, the SJIB could develop a very robust scheme at little additional cost.”
Founded in 1969 by SELECT and Unite the Union, the SJIB’s duties include regulating between employers and employees, providing benefits for people engaged in the industry, and stimulating industry progress. In addition, it has oversight of employment, skills and proficiency, health and safety competence, wages and welfare benefits across the electrical industry in Scotland.
“we are aware of local concerns, and we’ve made a number of changes in response” – Transportand Environment Convener Cllr Lesley Macinnes
Work on measures to ‘significantly improve’ cycle safety on Lanark Road, Longstone Road and Inglis Green Road as part of the Spaces for People programme will begin next week, the city council has announced:
Following feedback from the community we’ve made several amendments to the scheme, which will include a segregated cycle lane on both sides of the road and speed limit reductions.
Along with pop-up cycle lanes on Slateford Road and Dundee Street/Fountainbridge, interventions will help relieve congestion on the Union Canal towpath and Water of Leith walkway. These shared use paths have seen a substantial increase in pedestrians and cyclists during lockdown with at least a 150% rise in cyclists during the summer. This alternative route will help reduce conflict and allow for physical distancing, particularly on narrower sections like the Slateford Aqueduct.
Since sharing the original proposals with stakeholders we’ve made changes to the designs in response to comments from local people, largely to maximise parking access for businesses and any residents who don’t have driveways.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes (SNP) said: This scheme will introduce a much-needed safe and welcoming route for those making essential journeys by foot, bike or wheelchair, offering an alternative to the Union Canal towpath and Water of Leith walkway.
“It’s clear from our own monitoring that these popular shared-use paths are becoming over-crowded and we simply must provide other options for the many people who don’t own a car, who don’t feel comfortable using public transport at present or who want to take daily exercise on foot or bike.
“Of course, we are aware of local concerns, and we’ve made a number of changes in response. The beauty of the scheme’s temporary nature is that we’ll be able to continue monitoring its effectiveness too, making further tweaks where possible.
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran (Labour) said: “This is all about providing safe, convenient options for those making essential journeys and this is a key route for those travelling out of the city.
“Our Spaces for People team have worked hard to respond to concerns from residents and businesses and as a result the designs have been changed. Ultimately, this is about protecting the safety of vulnerable road users, and providing space for people to physically distance, and schemes like these are essential for achieving that.”
Measures on Lanark Road and Inglis Green Road will include:
Segregated cycle lanes on both sides of the road, protected from traffic
A reduced speed limit, from 40mph to 30mph
The removal of the kerbside traffic lane, except on approach to junctions
The introduction of a bus lane on approach to Gillespie crossroads
Measures on Longstone Road will include:
Introduction of segregated, and advisory cycle lanes as space allows
A reduced speed limit, from 30mph to 20mph
Carriageway narrowing and parking restrictions at certain points
Safety improvements at Longstone Roundabout
Changes to designs following community feedback will see additional parking retained at:
Cranley Nursery
Lanark Road Nursery
Dovecot Park
Inglis Green Road
Kingsknowe Golf Course
Redhall area
As part of the development of the scheme we’ve liaised closely with a range of stakeholders, such as the emergency services, Lothian Buses, community councils, equalities organisations, Spokes and Living Streets to ensure designs don’t impact on essential services or accessibility and that they provide an improved environment for pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists.
Once introduced, we will continue to monitor the changes, carrying out regular reviews and tweaking where necessary.
This project is one of a range of improvements being made across the city as part of the Spaces for People programme, which is helping to provide safe, welcoming routes for walking, cycling and wheeling while allowing people to physically distance during COVID-19 restrictions.
£4m project to strengthen existing safety measures to prevent bridge strikes
Enhancement to GreenRoad’s leading driver safety and fuel-efficiency system
Technology to cover 8,000 buses in England, Scotland and Wales by summer 2021
Stagecoach, Britain’s biggest bus operator, has announced that it will become the first bus operator in the country to invest in the national roll-out of new bridge alert technology across its fleet.
The £4m project will strengthen existing measures in place to prevent bridge strikes and build on Stagecoach’s industry-leading use of the GreenRoad driver safety and fuel efficiency system.
GreenRoad’s core safety system is installed on all of Stagecoach’s 8.000 buses in England, Scotland and Wales. The technology also serves professional drivers from companies across Europe, the Middle East, America, Australia and New Zealand.
Using a simple traffic-light-like LED system on the dashboard, the GreenRoad system gives drivers instant feedback about their driving manoeuvres, encouraging smoother, safer, more fuel-efficient driving that is more comfortable for passengers.
Stagecoach has been in discussions with GreenRoad over the past eight months on how to extend the telematics technology to further improve safety for its fleet – including 3,800 double-decker buses – around low bridges.
Data from Network Rail shows that there were 1714 railway bridge strikes across the country in the 2019-20 financial year. Most of these incidents involve heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), with between 40 and 50 a year related to buses.
As well as the potential for serious injuries, bridge strikes have significant financial and other costs for the country. On average, a single bridge strike costs more than £6,000 and in 2019-20 these incidents resulted in more than 7,800 hours of delays for rail passengers alone.
The intelligent GreenRoad system will use GPS vehicle location data and mapping services to alert the driver to nearby low bridges. If the technology determines that the bus is heading towards a low bridge, it will sound an in-cab alert, allowing a safe exit route that avoids the bridge.
Following a 16-week software development phase, the technology and associated speakers will be installed on Stagecoach buses across the country by summer 2021.
It will enhance a range of existing safety measures in place, including the design of bus routes to avoid low bridges, detailed classroom and practical route training for drivers, and ongoing work with authorities to ensure the placement of appropriate signage and other alerts.
Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “Everything we do starts with safety: for our customers, our people, pedestrians and other road users. Buses are already one of the safest forms of travel. But every year we invest millions of pounds in training our professional driving team and new technology to make our public transport operations even safer.
“Our country’s infrastructure includes many railway bridges designed in an era before modern transport vehicles went on the road, creating a safety risk. We have been working for many months with GreenRoad to design this important Low Bridge Alert enhancement to their proven safety technology, and are now implementing it to bolster the extensive measures we already have in place. We look forward to delivering the benefits from our investment across the country.”
The industry-leading initiative has been welcomed by Network Rail, which works with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), highways bodies, and road transport providers to help prevent bridge strikes.
Network Rail’s Chair, Sir Peter Hendy CBE, said: “Bridge strikes are an unnecessary burden on our railway. They pose serious safety risks, cause hours of delays for rail passengers and road users and swallow up public funds which should be used on upgrading and improving our network.
“We’ve seen encouraging signs of incidents declining recently thanks to our engagement work with industry partners, drivers and operators, as well as the introduction of technology which assists drivers, but the transport sector has to continue working together to make bridge strikes a thing of the past.
“I commend Stagecoach on taking the initiative with the roll-out of this technology and I hope to see other operators take a similar proactive approach to tackling the issue in the near future.”
Stagecoach’s bus drivers have been leading the way in GreenRoad’s global performance measurement programme for the past five years. More than 5,000 of Stagecoach’s 15,000 drivers have been awarded GreenRoad’s Fleet Elite status, reflecting the company’s approach to consistent improvement in safety and ongoing investment in driver training.
To gain Fleet Elite status, drivers must achieve an average of five or fewer events, such as harsh braking or acceleration, per 10 hours of driving over the entire calendar year. More Stagecoach employees have gained Fleet Elite status than any other company in the worldwide scheme.
David Ripstein, GreenRoad’s President & CEO, said: “We are pleased and honored to continue assisting Stagecoach in addressing some of its most significant safety challenges.
“We view ourselves as a safety technology leader that forms long-term partnerships with our customers, leveraging our best-in-class safety telematics solutions, together with our many years of experience, to help them reduce accidents, improve operations and minimise risk.
“We look forward to continued close cooperation to help Stagecoach reach the uncompromising standards of safety that they have set for themselves.”
The RNLI are warning those who live near to Cramond Island and planning a walk across this weekend to be aware of the high spring tides that may cut off your path on the tidal causeway.
Spring tides happen every lunar month throughout the year without regard to the season. During this time the earth, sun and moon are lined up in a row which results in a higher swell. This makes the high tides higher and the low tides lower than other days throughout the month.
The next high spring tides will start today (Friday 15 January) and continue throughout the weekend. This means the danger of being cut off by the fast-rising tide while walking to or from Cramond Island is higher than usual.
Current Scottish Government guidance allows for exercise that starts and finishes at the same place, providing you remain within your local authority area. This means that people living near to Cramond may decide to choose this option for essential exercise, but the RNLI are urging those people to consider the unusually large tides expected this weekend.
The island is popular with walkers who take the opportunity to venture across at low water. When the tide rises, under-prepared walkers can find themselves stranded. Over the last two months, the volunteer crew at Queensferry RNLI have been called to evacuate a total of nine people and two dogs who found themselves cut off by the tide.
To avoid this happening over the weekend, the lifesaving charity are asking walkers to check the tide times before crossing.
Michael Avril, RNLI Regional Water Safety Lead for Scotland said: ‘Our volunteers remain on call, ready to respond, but the need for our help can be avoided if walkers plan ahead by checking the tide times before setting off.
Spring tides will make the high tides higher and they will also come in quicker. The danger in this is that people can get cut off quicker without even realising until it’s too late.’
The coast is a dangerous and unpredictable place and Michael urges those who intend to walk this weekend to act before you go to get the necessary help to you if needed.
He said: ‘Accidents happen, and it is important that you are able to call for help if you need it. If you find yourself or spot others in trouble, call 999 and ask for the coastguard straight away. Stay calm and don’t try and wade through the water as this could be dangerous.’
For more information of how to stay safe at the coast, please visit the RNLI website: www.rnli.org.uk
