Urban street activity in 20mph zones: emerging findings. Hodgkinson and Whitehouse, Allott and Lomax 2000

The overview paper contains some very helpful quotes about home zones. It concludes that 20mph traffic calmed zones don't increase levels of street activity, but that lower speeds (10mph) in home zones may do.
Here are the key quotes:

"In the Warrington zone almost 24% of the respondents said that as a result of the measures they would be more likely to spend more time outside in the street. This fell to 12% in the Trafford zone and was less than 10% in the three other zones where "after" surveys have been carried out. It is notable that the lowest speeds were achieved in the Warrington zone. This suggests that measures to lower traffic speeds to 10mph, such as Home Zones, may have more impact."

"Warrington - large reductions were observed in traffic volumes following the zone implementation, as one road which acted as a short cut for traffic was closed and another was made one-way. Traffic speeds were reduced to less than 20mph. Some reductions were found in traffic and vehicle noise. Respondents were in favour of the zone with fewer reservations raised than at other locations."

"...The implementation of the 20mph zones appears to have had little effect in encouraging walking or cycling. ... There has so far been little impact on the function of the streets in the zones....It is evident that the measures did not go far enough to give most parents confidence in their children's safety....."

"The main conclusion to date is that the provision of adequate physical measures will reduce speeds close to 20mph and is likely to reduce the incidence and severity of accidents. To significantly change the function of a street, more stringent measures, such as a road closure or changing the nature of the road to reduce speeds to 10mph or less, are needed. Home zones may be more appropriate to change the function of a street."

Extracts supplied by lynn@transport2000.demon.co.uk

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