Signs of a safer route (From Stroud News and Journal)

Signs of a safer route

RADICAL new road safety proposals to remove signs and bollards in Stroud have come a step closer.

More than 80 people including councillors, police officers and traffic safety experts attended a Safer Streets conference at Ebley Mill to thrash out new ideas for reducing accidents.

On the table at Wednesday's conference was the Better Streets for Stroud report published in June. It reported how some experts claim safety can be improved by reducing street furniture - signs, bollards, barriers and lines - because drivers are forced to be more aware of their surroundings.

They say town centres look better and are safer as a result. The idea has already been implemented in Bibury near Cirencester, where 52 signs were removed and essential ones replaced with designs which fitted in to the area better.

A similar scheme has been tried out in the London borough of Kensington. The conference heard both schemes had been successful. Philip Booth, who co-authored the report, said: "Roads can be made less dangerous when drivers stop looking at signs and start looking at other people.

"It is about social behaviour rather than conventional methods of separation and control of road users. It has been introduced in the Netherlands with impressive results.

"Accident rates have fallen, congestion has not occurred and pedestrian and cycle use has increased as people feel safer."

Urban design specialist Ben Hamilton-Baillie, who has worked on projects in Europe, said: "In Denmark there was an amazing natural relationship between pedestrians and motorists.

"For example having children playing nearby brings people's speeds down, which then reduces accidents."

He is currently looking at how the scheme could work in Stonehouse.

District council leader Chas Fellows said the initial response in Stroud had been positive. All the feedback is needed before a decision is made on the next step.