THE family of a Radcliffe teenager who was killed on one of the town's busiest roads have welcomed an increase in spending on road safety.

Bury Council is set to spend more than £500,000 on projects across the borough designed to increase road safety and reduce the number and severity of road accidents.

Mr David Jones, the father of Natalie Pickwick-Jones (15), who was killed on Bolton Road by a speeding motorist last year, said that he and his wife Elaine, would welcome any amount of money that could be spent on road safety in Radcliffe and the surrounding towns.

The couple, of Olsberg Close, Radcliffe, have been campaigning for safer roads since Natalie's death, and joined the charity support group RoadPeace.

Mr Jones said: "We are really pleased that this money could help save the lives of someone else's loved ones.

"Enough cannot be spent on road safety if it means a reduction in the number of people killed on the roads."

Member of the council's executive meeting were due to meet on Wednesday night to approve a £522,000 programme which has been drawn up, on the basis of the annual monitoring of collision records in Bury, to identify high-risk sites where remedial treatment could be introduced to reduce casualties.

The cash will help fund projects incorporating a number of road safety measures such as pedestrian refuges and pedestrian phases at signals, Traffic calming and anti-skid treatments.

Individual schemes will be developed by the council's Traffic Management and Road Safety Services teams and will feature extensive consultation with local residents, councillors and area boards.

Councillor John Byrne, the council's executive member for environment and transport, said: "The programme aims to provide a safer and healthier environment by contributing to the reduction in road traffic casualties in accordance with targets set out in Bury's Road Safety Plan and Public Service Agreement.

"The aim is to achieve, by 2010, a 50 per cent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road collisions and a 50 per cent reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured.

"For 2005, Bury's Local Public Service Agreement (PSA) aims to reduce the total number of people killed or seriously injured in road collisions on Bury's roads to 45 or below."