Traffic Calming

We frequently get requests from residents for new traffic calming and road safety schemes. However, sometimes there is no accident history or few recorded injury accidents, but resident's perception of risk and the potential for accidents is considered to be particularly high.

The presumption that action will not be taken until an accident occurs is often levelled and the council is keen to be able to respond to genuine concerns by considering other elements of road safety risk, such as excessive speed and the threat to vulnerable road users when investigating road safety issues in the most objective way. These other elements can often have a bearing on road safety risk that might not necessarily be supported by the accident record.

We therefore have in place a traffic calming assessment process.

Traffic Calming Assessment Process

The aim of the assessment process is to consider other elements, in addition to the accident record, when assessing road safety conditions at a particular location. The assessment of each site is then added to a priority list that is based on the overall road safety risk. This assessment list supplements the Local Safety Scheme programme identified by the Road Safety Strategy, which is concentrated on accident frequencies and cluster sites. 

The traffic calming list is used to help Councillors determine priorities and direct resources to the sites where the assessment indicates the greatest risks in terms of road safety. There is no threshold over which a site might justify the introduction of measures - each site is placed in relationship to other assessed sites in order of their rating. Those with higher scores are more likely to be recommended for funding and inclusion on a future works programme.

This process ensures that we achieve value for money with the limited resources we have and we continue to meet national accident reduction targets.

If you have concerns about your road safety in your road and would like us to investigate the situation please call the Traffic Management team on 01628 683800 or email traffic@rbwm.gov.uk 

Various Types of Traffic Calming Measures:

Speed humps (or road humps)

• Can be applied to roads to help slow traffic down and reduce injury accidents and are available in a number of different forms 
• The most common forms are round-top and flat top road humps
• Flat top humps are normally provided in areas where there are large number of pedestrians so that a level crossing surface can be provided
• Speed humps have proved to be very successful at reducing vehicle speeds and injury accidents, however, there are concerns that road humps can create noise, cause driver and bus passenger discomfort and affect response times of emergency service vehicles

Speed cushions

• Can help to overcome the problems with speed humps
• These don't extend across the full width of the road and are preferred by bus operators and the emergency services
• They have also proved effective at reducing accidents and speed but there are concerns that the speed of larger vehicles is not affected and noise can still be a problem.

Sinusoidal Road humps

• These are an alternative type of road hump
• These humps are similar to round top humps but have a sinusoidal profile so have a shallower initial rise
• They were developed in the Netherlands and Denmark to provide a more comfortable ride for cyclists in traffic calmed areas
• These types of hump can reduce discomfort to drivers and can also reduce noise
• The sinusoidal profile can also been used instead of straight ramps for flat-top road humps.

Raised junction/Table Junctions

• These similar to road humps and consist of a plateau or flat top road hump built across the whole area of a junction
•  These are useful at treating a specific locations, such as a dangerous road junction, rather than a length of road
• Noise and driver discomfort can still be a problem.

Chicanes/Priority working

• Are used to slow traffic by reducing the width of the road at certain points
• They often involve priority working which means one direction gives way to the opposite direction
• They can also reduce vehicle speeds but there are concerns about delays during busy periods and safety because they can bring vehicles into conflict

Rumble strips

• Can be effective at reducing speeds when used in conjunction with others measures
• However, they can generate noise over a large area and can sometimes encourage increased vehicle speeds.

Safety (or speed) cameras 

• Are used at specific sites to reduce speed related injury accidents
• They can reduce accidents but they may only be effective at reducing speeds at the location of the camera rather than over longer stretches of road
• There are strict criteria governing the installation of speed cameras and the process is now more geared towards accident site with a much higher proportion of fatal and serious injuries
• As a result, the use of safety cameras at many sites is no longer appropriate.

Road Markings

• Can be used to provide areas of hatching, define or change the alignment of traffic lanes and to create the visual effect of road narrowing
• These can be successful, especially when used in conjunction with other measures for example cycle lanes, although they are reliant on driver perception and changing behaviour rather than physically restraining the movement of vehicles

Vehicle Activated Warning and Speed Limit signs

• Are a relatively new form of traffic calming and road safety devices
• These signs are designed to display a warning or notice to drivers that approach a hazard or area at speeds considered to be too fast
• These signs have the advantages of only applying to those that are driving too fast and of being high profile when compared to the conventional static warning sign
• They are, however, also reliant on changing drivers behaviour rather than physically restraining the movement of vehicles.