Background on demonstration and partnership projects

Introduction

We are working with a number of local highway authorities on a range of Demonstration and Partnership Projects which aim to show how solutions to complex local road safety problems can be found. Each project is being evaluated and the lessons learnt will be used to produce good practice guidance for authorities wishing to tackle similar problems in their local areas.

Gloucester Safer City

The Gloucester Safer City project showed how the Urban Safety Management approach to strategically managing safety across a whole urban area can bring significant casualty reductions. The project began in April 1996 and ran for five years until March 2001. Its main aim was to reduce casualties in the city by at least one third by April 2002 (compared to the baseline average for 1991-95). A road hierarchy was developed and a range of traffic engineering techniques were used to manage traffic onto the most appropriate roads, and travelling at appropriate speeds. Education, training and publicity campaigns and the Safer City branding complemented the approach and raised the community's awareness of road safety issues.

Over its five year life causalities in Gloucester were reduced by around 24%, with Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) being reduced by 48%. Guidelines for Urban Safety Management explain the Urban Safety Management approach in detail and capture many of the lessons from Gloucester. The Guidelines may be downloaded from the "See also" section at the bottom of this page.

TRL report 589 gives a detailed description of the Safer City project and its results. See link under "See also" section at the bottom of this page for further information.

Mixed priority routes

The Demonstration Project for Urban Mixed Priority Routes aims to show how main urban roads can be made safer and more pleasant for all users without causing major disruption to traffic. These roads fulfil an important function as traffic distributors but also cut through local communities and shopping areas. Conditions for pedestrians are often poor and casualties tend to be scattered along the length of the route.

We are working in partnership with 10 local highway authorities in England (2 tranches of 5). The first of these schemes, in Crewe, Manchester and Norwich, are currently under construction, and we expect the first five schemes to be complete by summer 2004. The schemes cover a range of different road types and environments, each with their own particular challenges. The ten schemes are:

Tranche 1 (announced December 2001)

• Cheshire County Council - Nantwich Road, Crewe
• London Borough of Lambeth - Wandsworth Road
• Manchester City Council - Wilmslow Road, Rusholme
• Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council - Prince of Wales Road, Norwich
• Warwickshire County Council - The Parade, Victoria Terrace, Leamington Spa

Tranche 2 (announced December 2002)

• Hertfordshire County Council - St Peters Street, St Albans
• Kingston upon Hull City Council - Newland Avenue
• Liverpool City Council - Berry Street, Renshaw Street
• Oxfordshire County Council - Cowley Road, Oxford
• London Borough of Southwark - Walworth Road

The next section gives more information on the ten schemes and links to the partner authorities' websites.

We will be evaluating the schemes and aim to be able to relate important lessons on project management, consultation, and delivery, as well as the technical aspects of scheme design. We hope to be able to publish an interim report later this year.

Round 1 Schemes

Cheshire County Council: A534 Nantwich Road, Crewe

The route

Nantwich Road is a major east to west link running to the south of Crewe town centre. It is a thriving local centre with a range of small general and specialist shops, and a growing evening economy. It is a heavily used bus route, and provides access to the rail station, football ground, and fire station. Haulage companies have also used it as a through route making the potential use of vertical deflections controversial, however, the newly opened A500 bypass aims to reduce the number of HGVs using the route, therefore making it possible to use vertical deflections as a means to reduce speed without creating high noise levels for those living on or near the route. There are currently 19 casualties per year, 8 of which are vulnerable road users, over the scheme's 0.9km length.

The proposals

A 20 mph zone is proposed, with flat - topped "S humps", and highway space is being reallocated in favour of pedestrians and cyclists, making the footways less cluttered, and improving street lighting, with new footway surfacing and street furniture along the route. Urban Traffic Control (UTC) will be installed with bus and emergency services priority measures. Improvements for cyclists include cycle lanes along the route and advanced stop lines at junctions. Raised pedestrian crossings at junctions will result in improved pedestrian facilities, particularly for the disabled. The design for the flat - topped "S humps" was developed through "life size" trials. 13 different types of vehicles, including the emergency services, tested them at different speeds for comfort and noise, and the preferred option will be used. Option C of the New Engineering Contract is being used to manage the works which are currently underway.

For further details on the Crewe scheme click on the following link:

http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/roads/MajorProjects/Crewe/A534NantwichRoadRaisedCrossingTrial.htm

London Borough of Lambeth - A306 Wandsworth Road

The route

Wandsworth Road is a key north - south arterial route between Wandsworth and Vauxhall Cross. It is heavily used, particularly in the peak hours. The route cuts through areas of retail and housing, and is home to part of South Bank University and two schools. Currently the road is a wide single carriageway with up to two lanes in each direction and with very little soft landscaping, making speeding one of the main problems. The route covered by the Department for Transport's MPR funding is around 1.5km, which is responsible for 42 casualties per year, 15 of which are vulnerable road users.

The proposals

The scheme is based on the principle of road space reallocation, to give benefits to pedestrians, cyclists and buses. Bus priority is being installed as part of the London Bus Priority Initiative. A greater number of formal and informal pedestrian crossings using PUFFIN technology will be introduced at and between junctions. New footways will improve the pedestrian environment, and the street lighting will also be improved. The speed management strategy is still being finalised, but will involve the use of linked traffic signals to give controlled progression along the route.

Manchester City Council - A6100 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme

The route

Wilmslow Road passes through vibrant Rusholme, Manchester's largest district centre. It is a major arterial route linking south Manchester with the airport, and the university area and city centre with Wythenshawe. Wilmslow Road is also a key bus corridor and emergency services route. It is a busy local centre predominantly comprising Asian shops and restaurants, but also containing Manchester University campuses and hospitals. The scheme covers a 1.2km length of 4 lane single carriageway with around 60 casualties per year, 23 of which are vulnerable road users.

The proposals

The theme of the proposed scheme is to accentuate the natural curved alignment of the road through a combination of engineering and landscaping, narrowing the carriageway down to two running lanes and rationalising parking and loading areas. Improved pedestrian crossing facilities will be installed at junctions, pelican crossings and refuge islands, and cycle lanes are also being introduced. The distinct identity of the area will be accentuated by gateways and artwork specifically designed for the Rusholme area, highlighting the level of local community ownership and pride in the area. New signals at certain junctions will be installed, and there will be an element of bus priority within the overall signal strategy. The route will also have new street lighting installed. The scheme has had to tackle serious parking issues as well as some delicate negotiations with the Local Traders Association. However, the scheme started on site in September 2003, slightly delayed after trying out Option A of the New Engineering Contract, which took more time than anticipated.

Norfolk County Council / Norwich City Council - Prince of Wales Road, Norwich

The route

The Prince of Wales Road is a key route within the City, providing not only traffic but pedestrians with a link between the railway station and Riverside area with the city centre. The area is a combination of day and night time activity, giving the area a diverse usage pattern. During the day the route is home to small shops, offices, and food establishments. During the evening and night hours, the road is a mecca for late night revellers, with a number of bars and nightclubs along the stretch. The road is one way for the majority of its 500m length, and has an average of 25 casualties per year, 18 of which are vulnerable road users, with over half of the pedestrian casualties occurring at night.

The proposals

The route remains one way, although the central reservation has been removed and footways widened, with mature street trees giving a "boulevard" effect. Controlled and uncontrolled pedestrian crossing points are being installed. Speeds will be reduced by a "green wave" during the day aimed to keep traffic moving at 20mph, with crossings 'resting on all red' at night to give responsive service to both pedestrians and traffic. Specially designed gateways are proposed at either end of the scheme, funded through Arts Council grant. The scheme is currently nearing completion.

Warwickshire County Council - Parade and Victoria Terrace, Leamington Spa

The route

Parade and Victoria Terrace form the main shopping street within the central conservation area of Leamington Spa, running from north to south through the town. There was some initial scepticism of the proposed project after a history of small scale safety measures which had attempted to deal with Parade's accident problem in the past. Warwickshire County Council adopted a "blank sheet" approach to developing proposals through a working group made up of elected members and key local stakeholders. There are a number of very active groups who made their position on the scheme well known, not all being favourable, however, there is now general support for the scheme, and detailed design is presently underway. The route is 0.9km long, and has 15 casualties per year; roughly half of which are pedestrians.

The proposals

The scheme is based around a 20 mph zone, with raised junctions and speed tables, which will also function as informal pedestrian crossing points. Puffin crossings are being installed and pavements will be widened. Recognising the key role of the route in the town centre, a broad approach is being taken which includes the introduction of restrictions on some adjacent routes. The proposed reallocation of on street parking spaces has proved one of the most controversial issues although there are actually more spaces provided in the new plan. The County Council's cabinet formally approved the scheme in principle on 8^th January 2004. Construction of the scheme is likely to be delayed as the town is due to host the World Ladies Indoor Bowls Championships, as well as being the regional finalist for Britain in Bloom.

For further details on the Leamington scheme click on the following link:

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/parade

Round 2 Schemes

Liverpool City Council - Berry Street, Renshaw Street

The route

An important north - south route running into the city centre which supports a range of small and medium sized shops, and a growing pub and club scene. The route is a two lane single carriageway which includes some complex traffic signal junctions. The section of route covered by the scheme is 0.7 km long and has over 30 casualties per year, of which up to half of which are pedestrians.

The proposals

On Renshaw Street a combination of speed cushions and raised tables are proposed to manage speed and provide improved crossing facilities while on Berry Street a central reserve is proposed to channel traffic and reduce conflicts. Significant alterations to traffic signal junctions are proposed to achieve better provision for pedestrians.

Oxfordshire County Council - Cowley Road, Oxford

The route

Cowley Road is a radial route from the south east of the city which runs through a local centre with a mixture of small shops and restaurants. High density housing bounds the route which is an important bus corridor and supports heavy cycle flows. The section under consideration is 1km long, with 20 casualties per year, of which around 8 are cyclists.

The proposals

Currently under development but the scheme is likely to include a 20mph speed limit, supported by bus friendly traffic calming (for example, in the form of build outs and vehicle actuated signs). Amendments and additions to the existing pedestrian crossing facilities are being investigated, and a particular challenge will be to improve safety for cyclists given the relatively constrained road widths available.

A number of innovative measures are being assessed as part of a very wide ranging consultation process engaging the local community. A review of parking and loading provision along the route is also being carried out as part of the scheme, as many of the accidents are associated with parked vehicles.

Hertfordshire County Council - A1081 St Peters Street / Chequer Street

The route

St Peters Street follows the route of the old A6 trunk road and bisects the main shopping area and historic city centre of St Albans. The road is 530m long, with carriageway widths varying between 7 and 15m and is also home to the city's twice - weekly market. There are currently around 20 casualties per year, over half of which are pedestrians or cyclists.

The proposals

A 20 mph zone is proposed, supported by raised tables which will also act as formal and informal crossing points. The carriageway will be narrowed, and significant changes made to traffic signal junctions to provide better pedestrian facilities. Facilities will also be improved for buses and cyclists. A high quality streetscape will be a key element of the scheme.

Kingston upon Hull City Council - Newland Avenue

The route

Newland Avenue is a thriving local distributor road approximately 2 miles north of Hull city centre, supporting local shops, pubs, small businesses and 3 schools. The route carries 20 buses an hour in each direction and is bounded by areas of terraced housing which have existing 20 mph zones.

The proposals

The proposals include a 20mph zone with shared surfaces, footway widening, an urban square, the removal of a pelican crossing, numerous 'continental' informal crossings, improved bus stops, echelon parking, planting and cycle shelters.

London Borough of Southwark - Walworth Road

The route

Walworth Road is a busy route between the Elephant and Castle and Camberwell. It is a key bus route with high overall traffic and pedestrian flows. It is a thriving local centre and is also home to the well known East Street Market.

The proposals

The high profile pilot project seeks to use a combination of innovative urban design and traffic engineering techniques in order to achieve a number of community-focussed objectives. The main changes being considered for Walworth Road are the use of bus friendly traffic calming, pavement widening and cycle lanes, along with a review of on street parking arrangements.

For further details on the Southwark scheme on the following link:

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourServices/transport/walworthproject/walworthproject.html

Inner City Demonstration Project

Birmingham City Council have been chosen as our partner authority for the Inner City Road Safety Demonstration Project. The project aims to show how a broad based, partnership approach can deliver casualty reduction and improved quality of life in a disadvantaged urban area. We are making £6 million in grant funding available over the six year life of the Inner City Project and expect the project to produce innovative solutions which tackle the root causes of accidents, rather than simply dealing with the symptoms. The project covers the Saltley, Alum Rock and Bordesley Green areas to the east of Birmingham city centre.

The project will build upon the experiences from Gloucester Safer City, but will go further, building partnerships with a range of local authority and external service providers such as education, health, and social care. Effective community involvement will also be key in the development and delivery of the strategy. We expect Birmingham to have produced their initial strategy and delivery plan by summer 2004.

Dealing with Disadvantage / Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative

There is strong evidence that members of poorer communities are more likely to become road accident casualties than their better-off peers. In October 2002, DfT launched a £17.6 million Dealing with Disadvantage initiative aimed at tackling the road safety implications of disadvantage. We selected 10 authorities in Greater Manchester and Lancashire to take part in the first round of the initiative to help tackle particularly severe problems in their socially excluded communities. A further 5 authorities are now involved in the initiative.

All authorities were selected on the basis of their particularly severe child pedestrian casualty problems. We have chosen this method because there are clear and strong links between deprivation and child pedestrian casualty levels but authorities are aiming to improve the road safety of all those within their deprived areas.

We have encouraged authorities to consider broad-based solutions and to work in partnership with a range of local stakeholders. Targeted intervention should seek to break road accident causal chains at any number of points and authorities need to consider a variety of solutions including a mix of engineering, education, enforcement and health promotion activities.

We recently let a research project to monitor and evaluate the impact of the initiative on disadvantaged communities. This will aim to develop a more thorough understanding of the road safety problems of disadvantaged communities and will look at why the targeted authorities have a particularly poor record for road safety. It will also evaluate what the Dealing with Disadvantage initiative adds over and above what is going on already through multi-agency working.

The Dealing with Disadvantage initiative has recently been re-named the Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative (NRSI) as it was felt that this gave a more accurate description of the work involved.

Round 1

The 10 authorities involved in round 1 of the initiative are:

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Bolton
• Bury
• Manchester
• Oldham
• Rochdale
• Salford
• Tameside
• Wigan

On 20 June 2003, the Secretary of State announced that £11.7 million had been allocated to the 10 participating authorities to address the particular road safety problems in their disadvantaged areas. This included an allocation of £3.5million for a centrally co-ordinated road safety team, the Neighbourhood Road Safety Team (NRST), to develop and deliver regional and collaborative projects.

Funding is now available to the 10 authorities in the North-West, who will be reimbursed for work carried out at milestones agreed in partnership agreements signed by a representative of each Authority and the DfT.

Total allocations to Round 1 authorities

Blackburn with Darwen	£300,000
Blackpool	£1,306,000
Bolton	£755,000
Bury	£300,000
Manchester	£1,008,000
Oldham	£395,000
Rochdale	£400,000
Salford	£600,000
Tameside	£835,000
Wigan	£868,000
Watchman*	£410,000
Central team (NRST)	£3,500,000
Unallocated for new developments	£1,000,000
TOTAL	£11,677,000

*"Watchman" is an anti-speeding initiative that will be delivered by selected authorities in the area

We have agreed a set of projects with each authority, based on their submissions and funding has been allocated on the basis of these agreed projects.

This page will be regularly updated to provide further information on progress of the partner authorities.

Round 2

A further 5 authorities have now been invited to take part in the second phase of the initiative. They are:

• Bradford
• Liverpool
• Nottingham
• Sandwell
• Stoke

On 26 February 2004, £4.3 million was allocated to four of the participating round 2 authorities, excluding Stoke. Stoke was invited to participate in the initiative in January 2004 and was allocated £988,079 on 29 April 2004.

We are in the process of signing partnership agreements with all 5 round 2 authorities. These will set out arrangements for reimbursing authorities for work carried out under the initiative.

Total allocations to Round 2 authorities

Bradford	£1,160,000
Liverpool	£1,017,000
Nottingham	£862,000
Sandwell	£1,282,750
Stoke	£988,079
TOTAL	£5,309,829

We have agreed a set of projects with each authority, based on their submissions and funding has been allocated on the basis of these agreed projects.

This page will be regularly updated to provide further information on progress of the partner authorities.

Disadvantage guidance

We issued Tackling the road safety implications of disadvantage to English local authorities outside London in April 2003. We asked these authorities to include a statement in their Local Transport Plan Annual Progress Reports, considering whether they had a road safety problem related to disadvantage and if so, what plans they had to address this problem. The guidance is available under the "See also" section at the bottom of this page.

Related research

Making the Connections is a report by the Social Exclusion Unit. It examines the links between social exclusion, transport and the location of services. It notes that the effects of road traffic disproportionately impact on socially excluded areas and discusses the concentration of road casualties in deprived areas. The report is available at:

http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/publications.asp?did=229

Streets Ahead: Safe and liveable streets for children is an IPPR (Institute of Public Policy Research) publication looking at the relationship between poverty and road safety. It finds that children in deprived areas are many more times likely to become road accident victims than their better off peers.

Tackling Health Inequalities - A Programme for Action. This Programme for Action sets out plans to tackle health inequalities over the next three years. It establishes the foundations required to achieve the challenging national target for 2010 to reduce the gap in infant mortality across social groups, and raise life expectancy in the most disadvantaged areas faster than elsewhere. Road accident casualties in disadvantaged communities is included as one of the 12 national headline indicators. The report can be downloaded at:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4008268&chk=Ad%2BpLD