Local Transport Note 1/07

1 Local Transport Note 1/07 March 2007 Traffc Calming Local Transport Note 01/07 Traffic Calming Department for Transport Department for Regional Development (Northern Ireland) Scottish Executive Welsh Assembly Government London: TSO Traffic Calming 1 Published by TSO (The Stationery Office) and available from: Online Mail, Telephone, Fax & E-mail TSO PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN Telephone orders/General enquiries: 0870 6005522 Fax orders: 0870 6005533 E-mail: Textphone: 0870 240 3701 TSO Shops 123 Kingsway, London WC2B 6PQ 020 7242 6393 Fax 020 7242 6394 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD 028 9023 8451 Fax 028 9023 5401 71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AZ 0870 606 5566 Fax 0870 606 5588 TSO@Blackwell and other Accredited Agents Crown copyright 2007, except where otherwise stated Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. This publication, excluding logos, may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for non-commercial research, private study or for internal circulation within an organisation.

2 This is subject to it being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The copyright source of the material must be acknowledged and the title of the publication specified. For any other use of this material, apply for a Click-Use Licence at , or by writing to the Licensing Division, Office of Public Sector Information, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ, fax 01603 723000, e-mail First published 2007 ISBN 978 011 552795 1 Printed in the United Kingdom for TSO N5407880 c15 03/07 Printed in Great Britain on paper containing at least 75% recycled fibre. Traffic Calming 2 Contents 1 Introduction ..7 Background ..7 Early traffic Modern traffic 2 General considerations ..12 Traffic calming legislation ..12 Traffic calming as part of the Local road safety strategy and Local Transport plan ..13 Use of traffic calming for security purposes ( anti-terrorism).

3 14 Routes for buses ..15 Routes for emergency service Vulnerable road Road lighting ..26 Monitoring of a scheme ..27 Public attitudes to Impact of traffic calming schemes on street activity ..30 Environmental impact of traffic calming 3 Traffic-calmed areas ..31 Shared road space ..31 Roads with 20 mph speed Roads with 30 mph speed Roads with 40 mph speed Traffic Calming 3 Roads with speed limits greater than 40 Town centres ..40 Historic areas ..41 Villages and rural areas ..42 4 Road Background ..47 Types of road Cost and Effectiveness ..57 Environmental impact ..61 5 Rumble devices and overrun Types of rumble Cost and Effectiveness ..69 Environmental impact ..70 Overrun 6 Narrowings and Background ..73 Narrowings ..74 Cost and Effectiveness ..79 Environmental Traffic Calming 4 7 Gateways and entry Background.

4 83 Gateways to Entry treatments ..84 Effectiveness ..85 Environmental impact ..85 8 Roundabouts ..86 Background ..86 Types of roundabouts ..86 Costs and Effectiveness ..87 Environmental impact ..88 9 Vehicle activated devices ..90 Vehicle activated signs ..90 Speed cameras ..90 Effectiveness ..90 10 Additional traffic calming elements ..92 Background ..92 Additional traffic calming elements ..92 Maintenance ..95 Effectiveness ..96 Environmental impact ..97 Traffic Calming 5 References ..98 Appendices .. 110 Appendix A DfT (including DTLR, DETR and DTp) publications .. 110 Appendix B Promoting a traffic calming 116 Appendix C1 Scheme assessment 117 Appendix C2 Example of priority factors for traffic calming schemes on 30 mph roads .. 119 Appendix D Checklist of issues to consider in questionnaire compilation ..120 Appendix E Summary of design factors, advantages and disadvantages of the use of road humps (not including speed cushions).

5 122 Appendix F Summary of design factors, advantages and disadvantages of the use of speed cushions ..124 Appendix G Summary of design factors, advantages and disadvantages of the use of chicanes ..126 Appendix H Glossary of traffic calming Appendix J Appraisal of traffic calming Index ..139 Traffic Calming 6 1. Introduction Background This Local Transport Note (LTN) brings together in one comprehensive document a summary of the research commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT, formerly the DTLR, DETR and DoT), together with research from external sources, to provide advice on the use of traffic calming measures today. It covers relevant legislation and the design, effectiveness and installation (including signing and lighting) of measures. This LTN does not aim to cover issues such as driver education or speed limit enforcement. The Government White Paper The Future of Transport : A network for 2030 (DfT, 2004a) outlines the Department s long-term strategy and investment for Transport .

6 The White Paper updates and rolls forward the policies and long-term investment programme published in the Ten Year Plan for Transport in July 2000. The Government s vision for Transport is for a modern, safe, high-quality network that better meets people s needs and provides better access to services and increased choice for everyone. Sustainability and an emphasis on efficiency and value for money are important underlying principles of the strategy. Many urban regeneration schemes have recognised the need to develop high-quality environments in order to help to stimulate economic activity, improve safety and reduce crime. Traffic calming can help to contribute to the urban design process. The policy document Our Towns and Cities: The Future Delivering an Urban Renaissance (DETR, 2000a) sets out the broad objective of making streets in the UK both safer and more attractive in the context of urban planning. This is reinforced in Living Spaces: Cleaner, Safer, Greener (ODPM, 2002), which sets out the Government s vision for public spaces.

7 Today Local authorities also need to take on board wider quality of life issues. The highway is an area of public space and all the existing and potential uses of that space should be considered. For example, in residential areas designated as Home Zones uses of the street may include children s play, community green space, or simply areas where people can stop and chat. In order for these uses to take place safely, traffic calming and roadspace reallocation techniques are usually required in order to reduce the speed and dominance of motorised traffic. The Rural White Paper Our Countryside: the future A fair deal for rural England (DETR & MAFF, 2000a) sets out how in rural areas traffic calming can help to reduce the impact of through traffic in villages and can help to make rural roads safer for recreational use by walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Encouraging recreational use of the countryside is one of the elements in supporting diversification in the rural economy in order to preserve rural services.

8 Research by Kennedy et al. (2004a and 2004b) suggests that on minor rural roads designated Quiet Lanes, with few, if any, associated traffic calming measures, vehicle flows are reduced but vehicle speeds stay much the same. Vehicle speeds were already low along these roads, averaging around 30 mph. However, if a wider variety of uses, such as sketching scenic views or nature trails, were to be encouraged, additional measures may need to be taken to reduce vehicle speeds still further. At the heart of the new integrated policy is the encouragement of public Transport , cycling and walking, and discouragement of using the car for inappropriate journeys. Traffic calming has a significant role to play in achieving these objectives by improving the safety of (and the environment for) vulnerable road users. This LTN illustrates techniques that can be used to support the objectives to increase levels of walking and cycling set out in The Future of Transpor t (DfT, 2004a) and Walking and cycling: an action plan (DfT, 2004b).

9 Speed management has been reviewed as part of the plan for future mobility, resulting in the publication of New Directions in Speed Management (DETR, 2000b). This emphasises the importance of TTrafraffic Calmingfic Calming 77 setting the right speed limits, determining a hierarchy of roads defined by function, providing better information to drivers and designing roads that clearly indicate by their appearance which speeds are appropriate. The Department s guidance on setting Local speed limits has been reviewed, and DfT Circular 01/06 Setting Local Speed Limits (which replaces Circular Roads 01/93 Setting Local Speed Limits) was published on 8 August 2006. The speed policy review recognised road humps, chicanes and other road engineering measures as currently the most effective method of reducing vehicle speeds in urban (and some rural) areas. It found that there was no evidence that, when negotiated at sensible speeds, these cause damage to vehicles.

10 However, along strategic routes for emergency services, consideration needs to be given to the most appropriate design that can minimise delay to emergency services while at the same time reducing and controlling the speed of other vehicles. A similar consideration needs to be given to bus routes. Speed management is an important part of the Government s road safety strategy, and casualty reduction targets for 2010 were set out in Tomorrow s roads: safer for everyone (DETR, 2000c). Traffic calming measures, where appropriate, can help in the achievement of the new ten-year casualty reduction targets, particularly for pedestrians and children. To ensure that the features themselves are not a cause of accidents, it is recommended that traffic calming schemes are subjected to safety audit reviews. However, the results of a safety audit should not dictate the final scheme. Potential risks should be identified and ameliorated where this is possible without destroying scheme objectives, but their likelihood and severity must be balanced against likely social, environmental, economic and safety benefits of the scheme as a whole.