Harrogate Borough Council

 
 

Traffic Calming

Traffic Calming is a generic term for a wide range of measures that seek to reduce the negative impact of traffic to achieve safety and environmental improvement. The aims are to reduce the severity and number of accidents, improve real and perceived safety for all road users, especially pedestrians and to influence driver behaviour.  It does not physically seek to displace traffic onto alternative routes.
 

Traffic calming can be accomplished by installing road humps, speed cushions, raised junction plateaux, chicanes, road narrowing, road closures.  The use of each of these features on any road on will depend on a detailed assessment of such things as use of the road, whether it is a main road or residential road, on-street parking, bus route, emergency services route etc.

If you would like to report a junction which you feel is dangerous, or if you feel speed restriction measures need to be implemented on a certain road, please use the form below.

There are regulations governing the layout of speed control humps.  There must be a form of "slowing feature" - usually formed by a change of priority (traffic entering the system has to turn sharp left or right into the road, or has to "give way").  Sometimes mini roundabouts are used at the start of a system of humps.

The shape of the speed control humps are strictly regulated.  They must be between 50mm and 100mm high, at least 2.75m long and extend over the full width of the road, except for a drainage channel at either end.  They may have either flat tops or round tops.  Many local authorities have adopted the 85mm high hump as standard.  This is becasue it has been found to reduce traffic to around 20 mph.  The 100mm high humps reduce speeds to 17 mph on the hump but speeds rise to 35 mph between the humps, causing excessive acceleration, braking and increased pollution.  Flat topped humps can be of any length and are oten known as "speed tables".  They are sometimes used to reduce the impact on long wheel base vehicles such as buses.  The Council favours the use of speed platforms because they minimise adverse effects on the occupants of vehicles who are driving at sensible speeds.

Speed control humps can lead to complaints about increased noise and sometimes increased vibration from traffic.  They have however been proved to reduce traffic speed and they have been installed in many locations.

Current traffic calming schemes being proposed or implemented in Harrogate Borough Council highways agency area are detailed below:-
 
Location of Proposed Works Date of Publication
There are currently no Traffic Calming Schemes in progress or consultation  
   

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Harrogate Borough Council, Council Offices, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2SG, Tel: (01423) 500600