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STAGES OF A ROAD SAFETY AUDIT

Stage 1

(Draft design and feasibility plans)

Stage 1 Road Safety Audits are undertaken at the completion of preliminary design of a traffic or parking scheme. Often changes proposed by a highway authority need to be audited before consultation or before being formally advertised. A Road Safety Audit can also be carried out on a new proposal (new housing estate) before a planning application is submitted. This is the last occasion at which land requirements may be increased and it is therefore essential to consider fully any road safety issues which may have a bearing upon land take before planning consent is granted. At the Road Safety Audit Stage 1 all team members shall visit together and examine the existing highway layout or features and where the new highway improvement scheme ties into the existing highway. Generally this exercise will also involve office based plan investigation and discussion and questions will be asked of the proposal plans.

 

Some common issues to investigate will be:

 

  • Has the design taken into consideration vulnerable road users?

  • Will the new road drain adequately?

  • Can all accesses be used safely and are any issues associated with the access points?

  • Are horizontal and vertical alignments consistent with required visibility?

  • Have pedestrian and cycle routes been provided where required?

  • Are lighting columns located at new junctions and where adjoining existing roads?

  • Any design faults that could create road safety issues?

  • Are any road markings proposed at this stage appropriate? Any signs missing?

  • Anything that is not in line with regulations and design standards?

Stage 2

(Completion of detail design
and pre construction)

Stage 2 Road Safety Audits are undertaken at completion of the detailed design stage of the works. The Audit Team will be able to consider the layout of junctions, position of signs, carriageway markings, lighting provision and other issues. At the Road Safety Audit Stage 2 all team members shall visit together and examine the existing highway layout or features and where the new highway improvement scheme ties into the existing highway.

 

This will include:

 

  •  General basic design principals

  •  General arrangement

  •  Local alignment, footway and carriageway widths

  •  Visibility and sightlines

  •  Junctions layout and visibility.

  •  Non-motorised user provision. Vulnerable road users

  •  Road signs, carriageway markings and lighting

 

Stage 3

(Post construction)

The Stage 3 Road Safety Audit should be undertaken when the Highway Improvement Scheme is substantially complete and preferably before the works are open to road users. The Audit Team will examine the scheme site during daylight and during the hours of darkness, so hazards particular to night operation can also be identified. The Audit Team Leader shall invite representatives of the Police, the Local Authority and Maintaining Agent to accompany the Audit Team to offer their views for the Stage 3 Audit.

 

  • The Audit Team should consider whether the design has been properly converted into the scheme on the ground and that no inherent road safety defect has been incorporated into the works. We will look closely at any design issues that might be creating or could possible create problems in the future

  • Particular attention should be paid to design changes which have occurred during construction and whether any issues are raised as a result

  • Design principles and standards

  • Local Alignment

  • Visibility and Sightlines

  • Junction layouts

  • Non motorised user provision and vulnerable road users

  • Road signs, carriageway markings and lighting

 

Stage 4

(Monitoring)

During the first year that a traffic scheme has been completed, a check should be kept on the number of personal injury collisions that occur, so that any serious problems can be identified and remedial work arranged quickly. Road Safety Audit Stage 4 monitoring reports shall be prepared using 12 months and 36 months collision data from the time the scheme became operational.

 

These reports shall be submitted to the Overseeing Organisation.

 

The collision records shall be analysed in detail to identify:

 

  • Locations at which personal injury collisions have occurred

  • Personal injury collisions that appear to arise from similar causes or show common factors. This could be due to the design of the scheme or a change in use of the road or feature

 

The analysis should include identification of changes in the collision population in terms of number, types, and other collision variables, and comparisons should be made with control data. Where the Highway Improvement Scheme is an on-line improvement then the collision record before the scheme was built should be compared with the situation after opening. The collision data should be analysed to identify the influence of problems and recommendations identified at previous audit stages, and any Exception Reports.

 

If collision records are not sufficiently comprehensive for detailed analysis, the police should be contacted to ascertain the availability of statements and report forms, which could aid the 36-month data analysis.The accident monitoring reports should identify any road safety problems or issues indicated by the data analysis and observations during any site visits undertaken. The reports should make recommendations for remedial action.

 

Exception Report or Designers Response Reports

 

It is the Design Team’s responsibility to ensure that all problems raised by the Audit Team are given due consideration. The design team should take all issues raised in the road safety audit into consideration and discussed with the overseeing engineer or project manager. If the Design Team considers any problem raised to be insignificant or is outside the terms of reference, or that the solutions recommended are not suitable given the relevant economic and environmental constraints, the Design Team shall prepare a Designers Response Report giving reasons and proposing alternatives. At each audit stage, the Designers are invited to respond to the audit. An exception report is also an excellent way of showing that the road safety audit issues have been considered and investigated.The Design Team shall provide copies of the designer’s response report to the audit team leader for action and information respectively.

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