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Traffic calming

The actual implementation of traffic calming schemes may not be that easy, but is nevertheless possible.

Commissioned by the Swedish National Road Authority, SWOV carried out a literature study to provide a concise overview of knowledge of and experiences with traffic calming schemes in urban areas, both on a technical level and on a policy level.

Traffic calming refers to a combination of network planning and engineering measures to improve both road safety as well as other aspects of the residents' living environment. The study looked at various characteristics of the urban network which are relevant for meeting the objectives of traffic calming, such as the functional classification of the network, the network structure of residential areas, and the need for a safe and attractive network for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, the report discusses the use of technical road engineering measures to achieve an appropriate safe car speed.

 

Different types of road

Especially in residential and shopping areas, network characteristics have to be supported by road engineering measures, so that through-traffic is avoided, and remaining motorized traffic drives at a low speed and is subordinate to the other users of the area. Traffic calming in residential areas has a large road safety effect: it leads to a 25% decrease in the number of victims. In the Netherlands traffic calming in residential areas has seen a growth of 50% since the beginning of the Duurzaam Veilig (Sustainably Safe) programme.

On urban main roads, the possibilities of traffic calming are much more limited. The efficient processing of motorized traffic is one of the major functions of this type of roads. This would require higher speeds at the road sections and, hence physically separated pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Speed reduction, however, would need to be realized at intersections and at midblock pedestrian and bicycle crossings, since at these locations, cars and vulnerable road users have to mix. At an urbanwide level, a traffic calming policy aims at a reduction of the number of car trips. Safe and comfortable facilities, for pedestrians and cyclists, reliable, dense, and cheap public transport facilities and restricted parking facilities in the city centre will make alternative transport modes more attractive. It is concluded that much is known about the technical opportunities of urban traffic calming. It is also concluded that traffic calming is effective in reducing car speeds, car traffic volumes, and road traffic crashes.

 

Policy

A successful traffic calming policy has many advantages for road safety, the environment, personal health, and, more generally, to the liveability of a town or city. In other words, traffic calming provides many opportunities to make urban life more attractive for the residents. However, traffic calming may have drawbacks at an individual level, since it may be felt that it has a direct limitation of a person's freedom of choice. Therefore, a successful implementation of traffic calming schemes needs to be supported by publicity and information aimed at citizens, organizations, and action groups. Moreover, specific policy elements, which were first introduced in the Duurzaam Veilig programme, are also supportive or even a prerequisite for successful implementation of large-scale traffic calming schemes:

 

 

When these points, which experiences in the Netherlands have shown to be important, are met, large scale traffic improvement schemes can be realised succesfully.

 

The full report entitled Traffic calming schemes; Opportunities and implementation strategies (R-2003-22) may be consulted and downloaded on the SWOV website www.swov.nl.

SWOV Research Activities 24 - December 2003

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