Better Transport

When you are putting forward recommendations to your council about how to calm traffic on a road, you have many different measures to choose from. Pick the ones that are right for your particular circumstance. Take photos of ones already in the area so the council can visualise what you’re suggesting.

> Have you a photo of one of the traffic-calming measures below? We’d love to see it and to share it with others on this site. Please contact us.

Round-topped road hump
Flat-topped road hump
Speed cushion
20mph speed limit
20mph zone
Signs – accident statistics
Chicane
Pinch point
Kerb build-out
Junction table
Mini-roundabout
Road narrowing
Gateway
Permanent road closure
Speed camera
Zebra crossing
Pelican crossing
Puffin crossing
Toucan
Traffic island and pedestrian refuge
Bollard
Gate
Cycle lane
Road surface changes
HGV ban

Round-topped road hump
A raised road surface that stretches across the road, usually 75 mm high
Cost: £1,200 per hump
Pros: Very good at slowing down vehicles. Should reduce noise levels where traffic consists of light vehicles. Self-enforcing. Does not usually affect on-street parking
Cons: Signs, street lighting and white lines are required, which may be considered visually intrusive. If big lorries are part of normal traffic flow, they can increase traffic noise. Drivers may rev between humps, thereby changing the character of noise

Flat-topped road hump
Cost: £2,000 per hump
Pros: Very good at reducing vehicles speeds and improving road safety. Can be used by pedestrians as a crossing point
Cons: Same as round-topped humps. Plus, produce more noise with commercial vehicles

Speed cushion
Square raised section of road, wide enough to slow smaller vehicles, with limited effect on emergency vehicles
Cost: £600 per cushion
Pros: Slows down cars. Can be negotiated by most types of emergency vehicles
Cons: On-street parking may cause difficulties. Signs, street lighting and white lines are required, which may be considered visually intrusive

20mph speed limit
20mph signs are placed at the entrance to the road where the speed limit applies and then at regular intervals
Cost: £2-20,000
Pros: Reinforces the need for motorists to drive slowly and with care
Cons: Not self-enforcing

20mph zone
Traffic calming measures have to be installed so that vehicle speeds are physically restricted to 20mph or less
Cost: £60-130,000
Pros: Very good at slowing down cars. Improves road safety. Individual traffic calming measures within the zone do not need signing, so visual intrusion is reduced. Self-enforcing. Deters traffic
Cons: May lull pedestrians into a false sense of security with the assumption of safety zone. Requires other traffic calming methods to be installed, which may have their own disadvantages

Signs – accident statistics
Signs that show accident statistics can bring home to drivers the consequences of driving too fast
Pros: Highlights dangerous areas and encourages drivers to consider the consequences of speeding. Can involve local people in the creation of the sign
Cons: Overuse of signs may reduce their credibility. Can distract drivers

Chicane
Chicanes are road narrowings located alternately on either side of the road. The pavement is extended into the street on alternate sides of the road, creating a ‘slalom’ effect. They slow traffic down by forcing one stream to give way to the others. There needs to be a balanced two-way flow of traffic for the chicanes to work
Cost: £6,000
Pros: Slows down traffic. Can improve road safety. Well accepted by bus companies and emergency services. Increases space for pedestrians
Cons: Illuminated bollard, street lighting signing and white lines are usually required and may be considered visually intrusive. Slows and complicate emergency vehicles access. May create conflict between drivers

Pinch point
The road is narrow by pavement extensions on either side of the road, only allowing one vehicle to pass at a time
Pros: Discourages access for large vehicles. Slows traffics, increase safety and reduces noise. Creates an opportunity for greening. Increases pedestrian space and ease of crossing
Cons: May slow emergency vehicles' access. Road narrowing can be dangerous for cyclists and motorcyclists if a car tries to overtake

Kerb build-outs
Extensions to the footway, constructed in a similar material. They are used to reduce road width at junction.
Cost: £8,000 per junction
Pros: Give pedestrians more space. Reduce crossing distance. Restrict traffic speeds. Can deter unsafe parking on junction
Cons: Can make manoeuvres difficult for large vehicles. Usually need bollards to stop cars driving on to them. Can cause difficulties for cyclist. May be hit in poor weather or at night

Junction table
Large, flattop hump constructed across a junction to reduce the sped of approaching vehicles. Junction tables also provide a level place for pedestrians to cross
Cost: £6,000
Pros: Slows traffic at junction. Highlights junction to motorists. Provides level crossing point for pedestrians. Less potential for vehicle damage
Cons: May cause problems for buses. Vehicles may drive onto footway

Mini-roundabout
Cost: £12,000
Pros: Slows traffic down. Can improve road safety. Can reduce driver delays when emerging from minor roads
Cons: Not ideal for cyclists. Signing, street lighting and white lies are required and may be considered visually intrusive

Road narrowing
Width restrictions, which are used to narrow the road on either one or both sides of the carriageway.
Cost: £6,000 per narrowing
Pros: Reduce crossing width for pedestrians. Restrict traffic flows and speeds. Highlight hazardous sites, such as outside schools. Prevent parking at hazardous
Cons: Careful signing essential

Gateway
Installed at entrances to towns and villages
Pros: Reminds drivers of the change in road environment. Highlights speed limit changes.
Cons: Not effective in reducing speeds over a long stretch of road. Other measures are needed to maintain speed reduction

Permanent road closure
Cost: £6,000 per junction
Pros: Reduces through-traffic. Reduces width of carriageway that pedestrians have to cross. Can incorporate cycle bypass, allowing cycles to use route
Cons: Can increase emergency service response time. Can make certain journeys longer for residents

Speed camera
Cost: £28,000
Pros: Slows cars down. Improves road safety and significantly reduces road crashes
Cons: Some drivers only slow down at the camera sites

Zebra crossing
The ‘zebra’ is characterised by black and white stripes and flashing yellow beacons on either side of the road
Cost: £11,000
Pros: A good crossing point. Pedestrians do no have to wait for traffic light to change in their favour. Only stops traffic when pedestrians want to use the crossing
Cons: If a zebra crossing is not frequently used by pedestrians, drivers tend to forget it is there. Drivers sometimes ignore pedestrians who are waiting to cross

Pelican crossing
A pelican crossing controls vehicles and pedestrian movements with traffic lights
Cost: £25,000
Pros: Provides a good crossing point for pedestrians. Visually impaired people benefit from the ‘beep’ that sounds when the green man is showing
Cons: The traffic lights and railing may be considered visually intrusive. Pedestrians may have to wait for long periods before the traffic lights change in their favour. Cannot be located on very high-speed roads. Needs other traffic calming measures if speed is a problem

Puffin crossing
Like a pelican, except the red and green man are on the same side of the road as the person waiting to cross. The crossing is operated by a push-button control and the traffic lights remain on red until pedestrians have crossed the road
Cost: £27,000
Pros: Provides good crossing point for pedestrians. Improves road safety. Increases time given to cross the road. Beneficial for partially sighted users
Cons: Same as for pelican crossings

Toucan
A crossing used by cyclists and pedestrians together
Pros: Allows convenient crossing for both pedestrians and cyclists. Encourages shared us of carriageway
Cons: The possibility of danger to pedestrians from conflict with cyclist. Only convenient for those cyclists on a track, not those on the road

Traffic island and pedestrian refuge
A traffic island is usually situated in the centre of a road to help reduce vehicle speeds and to prevent over-taking. If it includes a gap in the middle of the island it is called a refuge, allowing people to cross half the road at a time
Cost: £4,000
Pros: Slows cars down. Prevents over-taking. Can improve road safety. Makes it easier for people to cross the road safely
Cons: Can cause problems for cyclists and wide vehicles. Can be dangerous for cyclists and motorists if cars try to overtake them within the gap. Can reduce on-street parking. May be considered visually intrusive. Not suitable for large groups of pedestrians. May cause access problems for residents who have driveway next to the traffic island

Bollard
Pros: Effective way of closing road to vehicles. Allows free access to pedestrians and cyclists.
Cons: Slows emergency vehicle access. Can be vandalised easily

Gate
Leaving a gap at the side allow cycles to get past
Pros: Effective way of closing road to vehicles. Allows emergency vehicles access, but perhaps with a slight delay
Cons: Requires someone to operate gate

Cycle lane
Cost: £70 per linear metre
Pros: Provides for safer cycling. Promotes a healthier lifestyle. Encourages more cycling. Can reduce the speed of other vehicles by limiting the width of road available to them
Cons: Road signs are needed at frequent intervals along the length of the cycle lane

Road surface changes
Road surface changes can be different colours and textures to highlight particular features
Cost: £14 per square metre
Pros: Highlight certain features to road users. Relatively low cost. Do not disadvantage buses or emergency vehicles
Cons: Difficult to see in poor weather conditions. Colours can fade. Can create confusion regarding priority. Limited effectiveness

HGV Ban
An HGV ban can be introduced to prohibit large vehicles from using unsuitable roads by means of height, weight or width restriction
Cost: £9,0000 for width restriction
Pros: Reduces traffic noise and vibration in residential areas. Reduces traffic fumes and discolouration of buildings. Makes walking and cycling safer and more pleasant
Cons: Enforcement is difficult. Road signs are needed and may be considered visually intrusive