A METHOD FOR COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ACCIDENT COUNTERMEASURES FOR APPLICATION IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS

The results are discussed of an investigation, commissioned by the TRRL, designed to evaluate the potential effects of the widespread use of the accident countermeasures in residential areas. The article summarises the procedure by which the countermeasures were evaluated against certain criteria and also compared with one another so that the most effective could be identified. Of the fifty-three countermeasures identified, within six strategies, most have been applied in the UK although not necessarily in residential areas or as a single measure. Evidence of the effectiveness of individual countermeasures is rarely found as most are used within an overall traffic management scheme. The evaluation framework, although subjective, allows the adoption of alternative value judgements and the assessment of their implications on the results of the evaluation. (Author/TRRL)