The paper describes the design and early results of the area-wide approach to accident reduction in urban areas, using low cost measures. The Urban Safety Project is a demonstration of an approach developed by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory to deal with total accidents in an urban area many of which are scattered and whose likelihood of occurrence at any one site is too low to warrant special attention at that site. The approach involves the systematic application of low cost engineering measures on an area wide basis, recognising that, although point improvements can still be made safety engineers are increasingly recognising the need to develop urban strategies which take account of the interaction between the different parts of the urban network and their differing functions. Thus they must go beyond protecting local residential zones, to consider also the safe movement of traffic through the urban area, and they should ideally include an appraisal framework to which other activities can be related and within which public views can be taken into account. The project involves collaborative schemes with five local authorities, each scheme covering an area of about 700 hectares with a population of 30- 40,000, and an injury accident total of about 100 per year. The traffic and safety problems of all roads in the area are assessed, and a package of low cost measures implemented aimed at reducing the total number of accidents within the area by a target of 10- 15 percent. The results from the first four schemes are discussed, together with the methodology used in designing the schemes, and measures used, and the public reaction to the scheme's design and implementation.
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