Monday 1 October 2012

New Signs



Monday 1st October 2012.

With the onset of another predicted damp autumn, I'm delighted to be able to report some road safety news.
Rather than reassemble it, herewith the item as I received it:

One of the recommendations of the public value of review of road safety was that in addition to the capital budget allocated to local committees for highway improvements, the council should also allocate a central budget of £200,000 to ensure that highway improvements could be implemented at the sites across the county where there is the greatest potential to reduce road traffic casualties. This would ensure that the council would meet its statutory duty as set out in the 1988 Road Traffic Act, which requires local authorities to analyse road collisions and implement a programme of measures to reduce them.

The schemes have been identified following analyses of plots of personal injury collisions recorded by the police, to identify locations with a pattern of collisions that could be reduced through implementation of safety engineering highway improvements. Site visits have been undertaken by the council's road safety engineering team with police colleagues to assess the nature of the problem at each site and to develop appropriate improvements. Analysis of previous road safety schemes in Surrey has shown typical reductions in collisions of 35 per cent following implementation. The schemes have been prioritised based upon the estimated reduction in collisions for the expected cost of the scheme, to ensure the greatest casualty reduction for the money invested.

The following schemes have been identified for implementation in the Surrey Heath area:

B311 Red Road - 27 collisions in three years
Observed casualty pattern: speeds too fast for road and loss of control on bends

Identified scheme: reduction of speed limit to 50 mph, new vehicle activated sign and chevron signing
Estimated cost : £31,800

In addition we are also funding the design of a scheme to improve the safety of the junction of the A322 Bagshot Bypass with New Road where there has been 13 collisions in three years. The scheme would involve the provision of carriageway marking's through the centre of the junction to deter illegal right turns. It would be hope that the scheme (which could cost in the region of £22,000) could be implemented in future years.

Regards
Kay Hammond
Cabinet Member for Community Safety


As some of you long time readers of this blog will know, the casualty rate at these locations are one of the matters I have always pushed to get reduced.

So while this is not as far as I'd have liked - not by some margin - it is a start at least.


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