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Week
Commencing 1 July 2002
Home
Zone design guidance launched
New
guidance to help make Britain’s streets better places to live
was launched by transport minister, David Jamieson last week.
The Home Zone Design Guidelines, published by the Institute of Highway
Incorporated Engineers (IHIE), contains practical advice for anyone
involved in the planning, design and implementation of Home Zones.
Home Zones are residential streets designed to improve local quality
of life. They aim to strike a better balance between the needs of
drivers and other street users such as pedestrians - especially
children and older people - and cyclists.
"Home Zones have tremendous potential to transform the quality
of life in our local communities – by making streets safer,
more sociable and more pleasant places to live in," David Jamieson
said at the launch of the guidelines.
"By drawing together existing good practice, today's design
guidance from the IHIE will be essential reading for all those involved
in Home Zone projects. It rightly puts consultation with local people
at the heart of Home Zone planning and design.
"I encourage local councils, communities and residents’
associations to use this guidance and think about how Home Zones
can improve the quality of life of their area," the minister
concluded.
Copies of the Home Zone Design Guidelines, which include details
of the Morice Town home zone project in Plymouth, are available
from: IHIE, 20 Queensbury Place, London, SW7 2DR, priced £30.70
including postage and packing. The Morice Town Home Zone is one
of 9 pilot projects launched in 1999.
More cameras misery for Government
Already
under fire over restrictions on the use of speed cameras, the DfT
is now facing a revolt by transport professionals. Following last
week’s stinging criticism from the Commons’ Transport Committee,
the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has vowed
to take the Government to court. Mark Whitby predicted that other
professional bodies would join the ICE in backing the legal challenge
planned by the Slower Speeds Initiative if ministers do not withdraw
rules designed to make speed cameras more palatable to motorists (Surveyor,
27 June).
IAM
launches young driver award
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has launched the ‘Dominic
Fox Award’ in memory of its youngest council member, who died
unexpectedly at the age of 32.
"Through this award the IAM is seeking to recognise and encourage
the work of many who are dedicated to improvements in road safety
– an area of endeavour that generally does not receive the recognition
it deserves," said the IAM’s chief executive, Christopher
Bullock.
"It is given in the name of Dominic Fox who brought a fresh eye
to the promotion of safer driving for younger drivers and motorcyclists.
This continues to be a vitally important area for road safety, as
each year’s road casualty figures show," he added.
The deadlines for nominations is 31 August. Forms are available from
the IAM on 020 8996 9600 or can be downloaded from the IAM website
at: http://www.iam.org.uk.
Exceeding
the speed limit is still widespread
The
latest DfT figures show that a high percentage of vehicles on Britain’s
roads are still exceeding the speed limit.
Vehicle Speeds in Great Britain: 2001 uses data collected at 92 sites
where drivers are not constrained by either road layout or exceptional
traffic congestion. As such, these speeds will not be the same as
average speeds - but they do indicate compliance with speed limits.
On motorways and dual carriageways, more than half the cars surveyed
were travelling faster than the speed limit - and 18 per cent were
travelling in excess of 80mph on motorways and 13 per cent on dual
carriageways.
On major non-urban single carriageway roads 76 per cent of articulated
HGVs were exceeding their 40mph limit.
On urban roads (with a 30mph speed limit) 65 per cent of cars exceeded
the limit and on 40mph roads 25 per cent of cars exceeded the limit.
The proportion of cars exceeding the limit in 30mph zones has fallen
very slightly in the last four years, but overall average speeds have
changed little.
Vehicle Speeds in Great Britain 2001, Statistics Bulletin (02)21 is
obtainable from; The Department for Transport, TSR5 Branch, Zone 2/18,
Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR, or by email
at roadacc_stats@dft.gov.uk.
Hong
Kong seeks road safety clues in Northamptonshire
A
senior representative of the Hong Kong Government visited Northamptonshire
last week to find out how road casualties in the county have been
reduced. Samuel Lo, from Hong Kong’s transport department,
conducted a fact-finding mission to learn about Northamptonshire’s
casualty reduction partnership. There was a 15.5 per cent drop in
KSIs in the county in 2001 compared with the previous year (Surveyor
27 June).
Michelin
joins RoadSafe
Europe’s
leading tyre manufacturer has joined other leading motor industry
manufacturers in supporting RoadSafe, the new road safety partnership
that was launched in October 2001.
Roadsafe supports the Government’s integrated road safety initiative
and its commitment to a significant reduction in the level of road
accidents. Roadsafe’s chairman is the former transport minister
Steven Norris and the patron is HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
More @ http://www.roadsafe.com
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