Balancing the need to travel with the need to improve the quality of life is a key objective of the Department for Transport (DfT). This requires a speed policy that will take account of the contribution of travel speeds to environmental and social objectives as well as to road safety. This Leaflet supplements the guidance on Rural Single Carriageway Roads set out in DfT Circular 01/2006. Aims of this revised guidance include the setting of more appropriate local speed limits, including lower or higher speeds where conditions dictate; * local speed limits which better reflect the needs of all road users, not just motorised vehicles; * improved quality of life for local communities and a better balance between road safety, accessibility, and environmental objectives, especially in rural communities; * improved recognition and understanding by road users of the risks involved on different types of road, the speed limits which apply, and the reasons why improved respect for speed limits, and in turn improved self compliance; and * continued reductions in the number of road traffic collisions, injuries, and deaths in which excessive or inappropriate speed is a contributory factor. (Author/publisher)
Abstract