Road casualties

Britain has one of the best records in the world for road casualties. However, hundreds still die on the roads every year. In 2010, the police recorded 1,850 deaths, 22,660 people seriously injured and 184,138 who received light injuries.

Using official data recorded by police in Great Britain between 1999 and 2010, the BBC has plotted every road collision in which someone died. In all, 36,371 fatalities are marked on this interactive map.

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Beacon Hill

The Problem:

The new road markings at the western end of Beacon Hill have created a potential accident blackspot. Cars can now park on the north side of Beacon Hill from the point where the "pavement" (path) peters out - this is the beginning of the (unenforceable?) 20 minute restricted waiting zone for people visiting the Barnes Wallis statue.

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Unthinking so-and-so's

The seafront of our seaside town has been blighted with a sprouting of parking meters. A bad move, for bad reasons, with unintended consequences and a hidden fact.

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Vox pop: parking on Marine Parade

New parking machines have been installed along Herne Bay seafront. Residents have welcomed their introduction, hoping that it will reduce the number of cars in the area. But they have also prompted fears that they may have a negative impact on tourism in the town. Until just over a week ago it had been free to park cars along Marine Parade but the council has introduced a series of pay machines along the waterfront. It now costs 60p an hour to park along Marine Parade and parking is limited to two hours. However, visitors to the seaside town were less than happy with the new parking arrangements.

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Pipe dreams

Hastening our roads' decline into little more than cattle tracks sprinkled with asphalt clods, South East Water will spend 41 weeks replacing 5km of cruddy cast iron water main pipes with shiny blue plastic tubes - that's 0.00045 mph in old money. It'll be great when it's over.

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"Hell on roads" with new Bay Test Centre

A new super driving test centre bringing more than three times as many learner cars to the streets of Herne Bay opens on Monday. The multi-purpose centre in Broomfield is ready for action after the old venue in Sea Street closed its doors last Thursday. There are currently three tests per hour in the town but instructors say this will rise to 10 when the new centre opens.

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