THE woman who hopes to be Shipley's next MP has revealed she lost her grandfather in a tragic crash - as she backed a campaign aimed at eliminating all deaths and serious injuries on West Yorkshire's roads by 2040.
Anna Dixon, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Shipley, has given her support to the Vision Zero initiative, saying it was a "tragedy so many people die on our roads".
Calls have also been made to introduce speed cameras on Bingley bypass and cut the limit to 50mph across the whole stretch of the road.
Vision Zero comes after the deaths of 66 people and more than 1,345 serious injuries on West Yorkshire's roads last year.
A key part of the campaign is educating drivers and raising awareness about actions they can take to make our roads safer.
Ms Dixon, who has met with West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to discuss Vision Zero, said: "I've been out and about speaking to voters across the constituency and I keep hearing how concerned people are about speeding and dangerous driving.
"It is a tragedy that so many people die on our roads.
"My own family was affected by this.
"My grandfather was killed in a road traffic accident - I never had the chance to know him.
"And my grandmother, who survived the accident, lived with disability as I was growing up.
"I'm committed to working with the West Yorkshire Mayor and partners across West Yorkshire to deliver Vision Zero and tackle dangerous driving on our roads."
'Vision Zero matters to all of us'
Councillor Marcus Dearden, who represents Labour for Bingley on Bradford Council, also voiced his support for Vision Zero - and said he wanted to tackle speeding on Bingley bypass.
"What I'd like to see is average speed check cameras installed and reducing the speed to 50mph all along the bypass," he said.
"We've made progress in securing some of the funding.
"With the support of Tracy and Anna, we can hopefully get this over the line before the end of the year."
Vision Zero is a campaign between West Yorkshire Combined Authority, local councils, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, National Highways and the road safety organisation Brake.
Ms Brabin said she hopes Vision Zero will have made a "big difference" by 2040.
"It matters to every single person in West Yorkshire, whether you're a cyclist, a pedestrian or a driver," she added.
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