The measures being proposed
The traffic-calming measures most people are familiar with are speed humps and cameras. This project uses different methods that have been proved to be effective in other places.
The measures include:
- Bollards - Putting bollards at junctions allows pedestrians and cyclists to move through them freely, and allows access to a street while discouraging motorists from cutting through (rat-running), or from parking on pavements.
- Speed tables and road narrowing - At some junctions we will narrow the road to make crossing easier, and add a raised table. This measure is seen as one of the most effective traffic-calming measures. It can be used as an informal crossing for pedestrians, and could be combined with road narrowing. Speed tables are more acceptable than speed humps for buses, and the size and location of the tables can vary – from a straight road, to spanning a four-arm junction.
- Chicanes - In some places, roads will be narrowed away from a junction to reduce the road to one carriageway. This normally involves extending the kerb, and using bollards. Motorists need to drive more carefully in narrowed sections of road, which results in slower vehicle speeds. Narrowing targets a specific part of the road, can be used on junctions, can prevent vehicle parking, and makes it easier for pedestrians to cross.
- New crossings and improved junctions - These help those on bike or foot to cross busy roads separately, avoid right turns in front of traffic for cyclists and can be used to allow cyclists to set off from lights before cars.