Vehicle speeds are increasingly a cause of public anxiety, a key example being those on main roads through villages. The frequently-expressed concerns of community severance and environmental intrusion by fast-moving, heavy traffic, together with requests for action to pre-empt accidents, deserve to be addressed. With the predicted growth in traffic levels and the trend towards bigger goods vehicles, there is a need to integrate such traffic safely into rural communities in a manner acceptable to road-users and the community alike. Bypasses are not always the solution — they are expensive, can encroach on the countryside and can lead to 'infill' development. However, where suitable alternative routes exist, traffic can be encouraged to divert. Given the widely acknowledged correlation between speed and accident severity, it is desirable to reduce traffic speeds in villages. Low-cost techniques need to be identified which not only decrease accident potential, but also reduce traffic intrusion and sever- ance, while preserving or enhancing the rural character.
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