A Bradford Council highways expert has delivered a stinging criticism of a Government plan to make Britain’s roads the safest in the world.

Three months ago, the Department for Transport (DfT) issued a consultation document inviting comments on its vision, targets and measures for improving road safety.

The strategy proposed to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by a third by 2020, cut serious injuries to young people by half and halve the death rate for pedestrians and cyclists.

But Bradford Council’s traffic and highways manager, Steve Thornton, in his role as chairman of the West Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership, said: “In general the overall impression is of a top-down approach from a Government department.

“There is insufficient understanding of local authority areas where the strategy will be delivered, including the workings of local authorities and the needs of their communities.”

Mr Thornton said it focused too strongly on road users, the road environment and vehicles, excluding communities and the neighbourhoods agenda being promoted by another Government department – the Department for Communities and Local Government.

He said: “The document concentrates on reducing road injuries and setting targets, without considering road safety in a wider context – to deal with anti-social behaviour, to regenerate communities, to deal with criminal activity related to traffic use and offences, to reduce fear and intimidation.”

He said much of what was suggested was already being done in West Yorkshire.

And he criticised the fact the strategy referred to a “small number of people who break the law” despite research showing that West Yorkshire had very “significant problems” with people not wearing seat belts and 70,000 people a year being caught speeding.

“The road injuries to children in deprived areas are still four times greater and it's a national scandal that Government is allowing this to continue through the cessation of funding,” said Mr Thornton.

But the DfT said Mr Thornton was “absolutely incorrect” to say funding had been cut.

A spokesman said “In addition to the £110 million a year we give to local authorities to spend on road safety measures, we have set aside £11 million for Road Safety Partnership Grants to fund specific local projects to reduce casualties among particular groups.”