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Road Safety - By Accident or Design? GUIDELINES FOR IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY IN REGENERATION AREAS
5. Road Safety Issues
Structure
The guidelines are designed to assist the user in the process of using an inter-agency approach to identify road safety problems in regeneration areas, and developing appropriate solutions for them. The guidelines are not intended as a rigid guide but as a source of information and support in achieving successful inter-agency working.
Road safety issues relevant to regeneration areas
Road layout
Existing road layouts in regeneration areas often follow traditional postwar road designs, based on the provision of priority for the motorised vehicle rather than walking or cycling. Roads are typically wide and straight with on-street parking creating an ideal environment for speeding cars, "rat-running" and poor pedestrian safety.
It is being increasingly realised that certain geometric road design factors can contribute to road accident occurrence 7. Wide, straight roads in residential areas provide a visual stimulus to the motorist encouraging higher speeds and a sense of priority over other road users such as cyclists and pedestrians. This problem is particularly acute where dual carriageways are inappropriately located through residential areas.
Balgowan Avenue, Kirkton, Dundee Balgowan Avenue previously ran straight through the middle of Kirkton, splitting it in two. The road was a dual carriageway with electricity pylons down the centre. In addition to creating road safety problems, the road also dominated the whole neighbourhood. Due to pressure from the local community the road was identified as a key problem in the area and needed to be addressed in the regeneration of the Kirkton area From: A Safe Place to Live. The Scottish Road Safety Campaign |
Road layout can also contribute heavily to community severance. Wide, intrusive, busy roads with speeding traffic can act as a barrier, effectively dividing a community in two. Vulnerable members of the community such as the young and elderly are particularly susceptible to the effects of such intrusive roads. Without the provision of safe crossing points the road can act as a physical barrier preventing access to shops and community services located on the opposite side.
Traditional road design tends to be biased towards the motorist, lacking consideration for the encouragement of the use of more sustainable modes of transport. Key routes between residential areas and community services focus primarily on the road network, with few or no separate footpaths and cycle paths. Where footpaths do exist poor lighting and visibility can create serious actual and perceived safety issues.
Speeding
Most speeding offences recorded by police are on roads in built up areas with 30 mph speed limits 8. Though this is likely to be the result of the higher intensity of use by drivers in these areas and Police targeting, the issue of speeding in residential areas is nevertheless a major contributor to road safety issues.
A variety of factors contribute to the problem of speeding. As discussed previously, road layout is one of the key factors with the potential to inadvertently encourage motorists to speed. Wide spacious roads with no clear signing to indicate speed limits, no traffic calming measures and a limited provision of safe pedestrian crossings all contribute to creating a road environment that encourages motorists to speed.
Parked cars
Cars parked on-street create a visual obstruction for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. They create an obvious road safety hazard, in particular for pedestrians. Where on-street car parking is unavoidable, parking bays can sometimes be too small to accommodate cars resulting in cars being parked on pedestrian footways.
Lack of community facilities easily accessible on foot
Although rarely acknowledged, walking is the most common form of transport used. In regeneration areas, where car ownership is generally lower, public transport combined with walking will form the main way in which services are accessed by the community.
Traditional road layout tends to limit pedestrian access to road-side footpaths. Where off-road footpaths have been provided, the design can often create a threatening and unsafe environment for the pedestrian, such as narrow footpaths enclosed by tall buildings, fences or vegetation. Only too often poor maintenance intensifies perceptions of personal risk.
Poor pedestrian access contributes to poor accessibility, social exclusion, poor community safety and a general degradation of community well-being. By addressing the factors contributing to poor pedestrian access and thereby encouraging walking, a range of regeneration-led objectives may be met.
Child Road Safety
Statistics from Road Accidents Scotland 2002 9 show that the highest number of child road casualties occurs on weekdays between the hours of 3pm and 5pm, and a smaller peak between 8am and 9am (Figure 5.1). These times relate to the journey to and from school. The morning peak is confined to within one hour, but the afternoon peak is significantly higher and tails off gradually to 8pm.
Figure 5.1 - Total child pedestrian accidents for weekdays by time (From Road Accidents Scotland 2002, Scottish Executive)
Research carried out on behalf of the Scottish Executive 10 identified that school children from a more deprived background are exposed to a greater road safety risk than those from a more affluent background. They are also less likely to travel to school by car or to be accompanied by an adult.
Truancy can be a factor in child road accidents as those playing truant are unlikely to be in the care of a responsible adult and are outwith the safety of the school environment. Such children are also more likely to miss out on road safety education provided by schools. Road safety education in schools may focus only on the journey to school yet children playing truant are likely to experience different road environments for which they may lack the necessary road safety knowledge to safely negotiate.
A lack of child play areas can play a significant role in reducing levels of road safety for children. Where play areas are not provided within a community, and households do not have their own private gardens, children have little choice but to play on the street. As discussed previously, the road environment tends to prioritise car use leading to speeding cars and parked cars creating a dangerous play environment.
Street lighting
Adequate street lighting is imperative to ensuring road safety during the hours of darkness. Lighting is generally more of an issue for pedestrians using off-road walkways where a lack of lighting can create a threatening environment (perceived or actual) together with the obvious hazard created by poor visibility.
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