1. Incorporating Road Safety Audit into Development Control Kevin Nicholson Principal Consultant

2. Main topics covered Development control and the highway network How is Road Safety Audit incorporated? A typical process for Auditing a residential development When are Audits carried out? Issues for Auditors Recommended procedures for Highway Authorities Road Safety Assessments and Risk Assessments Summary

4. Development control and the highway network DC ensures that Highway and Planning Authorities have a significant influence over a number of important factors New developments often fund new highways or improvements to the existing network That process is usually achieved via Section 38 and 278 agreements (Highways Act 1980) and planning conditions Section 38 enables the Highway Authority to ultimately adopt the streets as public highway Section 278 permits the Developer to fund works in the highway

5. How is Road Safety Audit incorporated? Road Safety Audit applies equally to developments as it does to highway schemes Highway Authorities should have road safety Audit policies and procedures Road Safety Audits can be specified in S38 and 278 agreements They can be requested by the DC Officer and fed into a planning condition Developers can be provided with guidance notes and design guides that incorporate what is required in terms of Audit A note of caution - less control of the Audit process than with in- house schemes but still achievable

6. A typical process for Auditing a residential development Pre planning meeting Planning application received S38 and 278 drawn up Developer commissions Audit Developers submit the Audit report to the Highway Authority Generally, the Auditor’s recommendations are accepted by the Authority Where the Audit recommendations are accepted by the Authority, the developer is obliged to put them in place However the Developer’s responses to the Audit might be accepted Compliance can be checked at the next Audit stage or by the LHA site representative

7. When are Audits carried out? Prior to planning approval Decision to be taken on stage 1 (preliminary design) or feasibility Audit For small or time-constrained developments a pre-planning meeting could be sufficient Pre-planning meetings are also helpful for large developments For significant development a Stage 1 Audit is usually required as part of the submission of an outline planning application In deciding if Audits are required pre-planning, DC officers can use policy documents, guidelines and service procedures

8. When are Audits carried out? Following outline planning approval Where a Stage 1 has already been submitted, a Stage 2 Audit is usually required for detailed planning approval Sometimes the first Audit is a stage 1/2 at detailed design (and detailed planning application stage) Stage 3 carried out on completion of the works Stage 4 carried out 12 months after completion

9. Issues for Auditors Insufficient information to Audit Outdated standards or poor quality of design Poor provision for vulnerable users Scope of the Audit – Transport assessments or Design & Access Statement might raise remote issues Where these problems occur Auditors should be pro-active and advise the Highway Authority or Developer what should be included for Audit Where additional information is not forthcoming the Auditor should make it known to all concerned

14. Recommended procedures for Highway Authorities Establish good working relationships and mutual understanding of the issues Include road safety issues in Transport Assessments or Design & Access Statements Put procedures in place to specify stages of Audit Clearly identify who is the client for the Audit Decide on how to approve the Audit Team Ensure that the developer responds to the Audit and that the Authority makes a balanced decision Consider retaining part of the bond/APC to cover works recommended by a Stage 4 Audit

15. Road Safety Assessments and Risk Assessments Road Safety Audit identifies issues likely to generate accidents without qualification or quantification Road Safety Assessments are comparative assessments –of the risks associated with different design options or –to different road user groups within a single design option The evaluation of risk uses risk assessment methodology to predict the likely severity and frequency of accidents Auditors might treat risk assessment with caution as it is subjective and not specified in HD 19/03

16. Frequency of collision more than one per year one every 1-4 years one every 5-10 years less than one per 10 years Severity FatalVery highHigh Medium SeriousHigh Medium SlightHighMedium Low DamageMedium Low Risk Assessment Matrix

17. Summary Audits are an important part of development control Authorities should take the lead in making them happen Equally, Developers and Auditors should be pro-active The processes for all concerned should be clear Use Road Safety Assessments and Risk Assessments as appropriate Ultimately, casualty reduction is the issue and the Audit process should not be a triumph of form over content

19. Thank you for your attention kevin.nicholson@capita.co.uk The Capita Building Kingmoor Business Park Carlisle CA6 4SJ 01228 673065 07900980529