This report follows on from the first Review of Traffic Calming Schemes in Kent (January 1992). It makes a final assessment of the six original schemes which have now been in place for a number of years, and gives an overview of their effectiveness. A further 6 schemes are reviewed, a number of these being innovative and involving measures other than road humps. A study of crash migration has been carried out on three of the original schemes to be reviewed and the results are included in this report. Since the relaxation of the rules governing the use of road humps on the carriageway in 1986, these and other `traffic calming' measures have become a popular method of keeping traffic speeds low in order to reduce the number and severity of personal injury crashes. `The Traffic Calming Act', which came into operation in August 1993, widened the scope of traffic calming to include various forms of chicane, gateways, over-run areas, rumble devices, etc. The first Review looked in detail at 6 schemes implemented in Kent between 1988 and 1993. It concluded that traffic calming schemes that involved the use of road humps were effective in reducing traffic speeds and crashes as well as diverting traffic away from treated areas. The review also highlighted the disadvantages relating to traffic canning schemes, such as increase in noise relating to road humps and, in some cases, unpopularity with residents. (A)
Abstract