Man whose partner died in M66 crash backs new safety fund

On By Pranco

Family photo Calvin Buckley extends his arm over his partner Frankie Jules-Hough as the couple smiles for a photo in front of a bunch of balloons indoors.Family photo

Calvin Buckley’s partner Frankie Jules-Hough was killed by a dangerous driver

A man whose partner and unborn child were killed by a dangerous driver has welcomed a new £1 million fund to improve road safety.

Calvin Buckley’s partner Frankie Jules-Hough died when she was hit by a motorist who was filming himself with his phone during a 120mph drive on the M66 in May 2023.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has launched a fund aimed at reducing fatalities and life-changing injuries.

Mr Buckley said the money could “help many people and projects that need funding so they can make a difference and save lives”.

Photo of road safety campaigner Calvin Buckley, whose partner and unborn child died on the M66 in Bury

Calvin Buckley’s partner and their unborn child died on the M66 in Bury

Now a road safety campaigner, Mr Buckley said he wants to help save lives “in the name of my partner and unborn child”.

He is setting up his own road safety academy, an ambition he says is “the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning”.

“If I didn’t campaign, I wouldn’t have a life. Everything I had worked for, my dreams, all in the blink of an eye.”

Photo of Kate Green, the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester

Kate Green is the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities

The GMCA fund is open to partners of the Safer Roads Greater Manchester Partnership and can be used for engineering, education, training or enforcement projects.

Kate Green, the region’s deputy mayor, said she is looking for a range of ideas.

“For example, we already have Community Speed ​​Watch, where people use devices to detect speed, grab the license plate and pass the information on to the police,” she said.

Photo of Dame Sarah Storey - the active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester.

Dame Sarah Storey was hit by a car while riding her bicycle near Westhoughton in 2006

Dame Sarah Store is now the Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester.

Speaking at the fund’s unveiling, the Paralympian said she will never forget “that feeling of fear” when she was hit by a car while riding her bike near Westhoughton in 2006.

“The bonnet hit my left hip and I couldn’t stop it from throwing me over the roundabout,” he said.

The Combined Authority has endorsed a road safety improvement target called Vison Zero, which aims to eliminate road deaths and life-changing injuries by 2040.

In 2023, 45 people were killed and 754 seriously injured on roads in Greater Manchester. In 2003, the number of fatalities in the region was 126.