A Green Party PCC would prioritize road safety policing as a matter of considerable urgency. However, it seems to me that merely adding to the overall number of road traffic officers would not be some kind of panacea and as a result it would probably not be the way we would approach this.
We want to see a cultural shift in policing behaviour on our roads, such that the drivers who behave in an anti-social manner are specifically targeted. This might be rural speeding on minor unclassified roads, where we would lower the default speed limit to 50mph from 60mph. It might be focusing on urban pavement parking, which can force pedestrians into the carriageway, putting them at greater risk. I would also be interested to look into lowering urban speed limits to 20mph in residential areas, especially near schools and sheltered housing, making the roads easier to cross and most importantly safer for all.
In Norwich we have been fortunate enough to have significant cycling ambition grants from Government to the tune of £8.5M. However virtually all of this has been spent on hard infrastructure such as cycle lanes and routes. Whilst this addresses years of underinvestment in cycling, virtually none has been allocated towards softer measures such as driver, cyclist and pedestrian education. All road user need better training in how to use the roads an streets more considerately.
I would be inclined to also reinstate many police patrols officer on bicycles in our market towns and cities which can have a double benefit of getting police officers faster to incidents that are not directly accessible by public road, and will help ensure a fitter and healthier workforce.