NO MORE SPEED CAMERAS,NO WHITE LINES,NO SPEED HUMP

NO MORE SPEED CAMERAS, NO WHITE LINES AND NO SPEED BUMPS

A new approach to traffic management which would rely on psychology rather than speed humps and human instinct in place of speed cameras is the subject of a meeting taking place next week (TUE 22).

Northamptonshire County Council’s environment & transport scrutiny committee has set up a sub-committee to look critically at this new approach, which has been called visual traffic calming.

The sub-committee was formed last year to examine new ways of managing traffic and reducing road casualties which focus on the physical and visual driving environment and how motorists react to their surroundings. Tuesday’s meeting is the final in a series of meetings to examine the issue.

Councillor Ben Smith, chair of the sub-committee, said: “Highway design traditionally relies on signs, barriers, pavements and speed limits to control traffic. We’re looking into whether those conventional methods could be replaced by designs that tap into the psychology of drivers.

“We’re exploring how drivers react to their surroundings and whether changes in the physical environment would result in different behaviour by all road users.”

Examples include textured road surfaces shared by pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorists, the removal of street furniture and signs, the removal of white lines, or the creation of Home Zones that emphasise priority to pedestrians and cyclists.

Cllr Smith added: “The methods used might be quite different in urban and rural areas. We have examined urban examples such as Kensington High Street where enormous amounts of roadside clutter has been removed and rural examples such as the ‘self-explaining roads’ in villages in rural North Norfolk.

“We think these approaches do have some potential in this county. But users and stakeholders have told us that if schemes are to work, they must be based on the best available research, and be very well planned and built. Also, it is essential that local people support the schemes and are involved in their planning”.

At its meeting next week, the sub-committee will receive a presentation from an expert from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). This independent think-tank has conducted research into various traffic calming measures, including those with a psychological-visual basis.

The sub-committee will also investigate the idea of setting up a pilot scheme using the approaches outlined.

The meeting takes place at 1pm on Tuesday 22 February at the Volunteering Centre, St Giles Street, Northampton.

Members of the public who would like to attend the meeting or more information should contact Philip Gray at Northamptonshire County Council on 01604 237829 or email [email protected]

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