Effective road and traffic management
Written evidence from Cadence Driver Development (ETM 50)
1.1 The team of advanced driving coaches from Cadence Driver Development welcomes the invitation from the Transport Select Committee to submit further evidence to its members for their consideration and it thanks them for the opportunity of engaging in this Inquiry.
1.2 Cadence Driver Development is represented at this Inquiry by its principal coaching consultant, Hugh Noblett1, who is an ardent believer in and advocate of the benefits of lifelong learning. In the context of this Inquiry, he offers his expertise in his capacity as founder of Cadence Evolution, the non-commercial division of the organisation, dealing with both road safety and economic perspectives.
1.3 The request for our submission is specifically related to input on Topic 2 (road user culture and behaviour and the relevance of the Highway Code to today’s road users), being our area of specific interest and expertise. However, we have included brief comments on the other topics for both completeness and continuity.
2. Overview
2.1 A certain amount of Government and/or Local Authority intervention is necessary for Society to function successfully. Traffic movement is no exception. However, during periods of austerity, funds for initiatives perceived as ‘non-essential’ will necessarily be either refused or severely restricted. One of the key factors of congestion is the human influence and an unwillingness to take personal responsibility, to make individual, rational, or sensible decisions. On the whole, Society has negligible self-motivation. In many respects, Society now expects Government to provide solutions to many of life’s changing issues, which only factors in additional costs. The new Government and Local Authorities now have an ideal opportunity to encourage people to develop a culture of involvement at both local and national levels, thus reducing the State’s financial burden.
2.2 Successive Governments have allocated substantial funds for financing electronic solutions to what is essentially a human problem. Although some intervention is necessary for traffic flow at strategic locations, a nationwide ‘roll-out’ of such systems will place considerable strain on the country’s finite resources and will require additional, constant upgrades and maintenance. An alternative approach is to invest in Society, which given time, good leadership and local encouragement, will perpetuate its own solutions.
2.3 The worst traffic congestion occurs at peak hours. If road travel is unavoidable, the majority of drivers expect to allow extra time for their journeys. However, there is evidence that actual journey times are falling slightly and that density is also decreasing, some of which is due to the current economic climate. Drivers feel more concerned when unexpected delays occur, typically outside commuter periods. Delays are often the result of minor incidents, heavy vehicle spillages or bridge strikes that affect both local road and rail traffic. Most are avoidable and many are exacerbated by Health and Safety legislation being applied to the letter, without providing adequate information.
Response
3. Topic 1
"The extent to which the Government and local authorities should intervene to alleviate congestion and the best means of doing so"
3.1 Consider improving traffic light phasing to ease flow rather than obstructing it
3.2 Consider the feasibility and benefits of adopting the European ‘merge in turn’ system, at roundabouts
3.3 Coordinate major road-works to avoid concurrent capacity reductions on alternative primary routes
3.4 Consider enforcement on road construction and maintenance companies to adopt a Continental (‘rolling repair’) approach to major road-works schemes. Instead of five or more miles of narrow lanes, with the workforce only in attendance and working at one location, consider building or repairing a stretch of shorter distance. Once completed, prioritise cones removal, return the stretch to normal and move manpower, cones and equipment to the next phase. The present policy creates frustration and leads to carelessness as drivers pay reducing attention, when driving at low speeds over longer distances
3.5 Prior to entering road-works with lane closures, consider implementing an 800m advisory merge-in-turn (or zipper) system. It is already European law
3.6 Consider offering incentives to haulage companies to move freight between the hours of 20.00 and 05.00 with exemptions for ‘essential’ and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)
3.7 Consider further evaluation of ongoing trials restricting LGVs on two-lane dual carriageways to the nearside lane during peak times (and also consider implementing the French rule of zero heavy freight movements on Sundays)
3.8 Prioritise roll-out of high speed Broadband for the whole country to encourage home- and tele-working
4 and 5. Topic 2
"The extent to which road user culture and behaviour undermines effective traffic management, including the relevance to today’s road users of the Highway Code"
For clarity, we have treated Topic 2 as two separate issues (4 and 5 below):
4. Road user culture and behaviour
4.1 Encouraging personal responsibility is a key factor in re-enabling and motivating people to engage with a greater society. Driving is no exception. Driving is a highly complex task that goes far beyond the mechanical skills of propelling a motor vehicle from A to B. We need to alert drivers to their responsibilities, not only to themselves but also to all other road users. Current road user culture and undesirable attitudes and behaviour, singly or in combination, often have a dramatic effect on traffic flow and road user safety. There are over 34 million drivers, possessing different personalities and predispositions, developed during childhood and often influenced negatively by a fragmented family life or exposure to undesirable peer behaviour.
4.2 Particularly noteworthy traits are:
i. Inattention – drivers must be encouraged to appreciate that driving requires total concentration in order to remain safe and crash-free
ii. Poor decision-making – drivers are not taught to have ‘a plan of action’ and often lack the skills to reach consistent and rational decisions
iii. Poor lane discipline – not returning to the nearside lane of a motorway after overtaking wastes valuable road space. (It also encourages deliberate ‘undertaking’, which breaks the law, Highway Code Rule 268)
iv. Distraction – allowing the mind to be diverted from the driving task compromises safety for all and compounds already erratic and unpredictable behaviour
v. Tailgating – drivers need to be made far more aware of the time it takes to react to constantly changing situations. Tailgating is a major cause of traffic delays, lane closures and rear-end shunts, requiring the attendance of Highways Agency Traffic Officers – and in the event of more serious incidents involving death or serious injury, the presence of Police and Accident Investigation Officers, and recovery crews, often requiring a substantial period of road closure. Additionally, the opposing carriageway flow repeatedly suffers through a nationwide obsession with ‘rubber-necking’, often leading to a ‘domino effect’ of additional incidents as a result of following too closely, compounded by inattention. Subsequent delays increase fuel consumption and pollution levels, while creating further frustration
vi. Lack of spatial awareness – drivers have become cocooned in their comfortable, ‘safe’ and soundproofed vehicles. They must be advised of the need to make constant reviews of the situation ahead, to the sides and to the rears of their vehicles
vii. Lack of restraint, courtesy and consideration – leads to unnecessary altercations with other road users. A culture of mutual cooperation should be encouraged
viii. Over-reliance on a vehicle’s active and passive safety systems – no vehicle can stop ‘on a sixpence’. It takes time. Electronic aids were devised to mitigate for driver error and they manage many situations extremely successfully but even they cannot defy the laws of physics. The careful, competent driver embraces the technology but rarely activates it
ix. The belief that a licence is a ‘right’, or an expectation, rather than a privilege that must be earned through hard work and commitment to knowledge and understanding of how to form robust risk strategies
x. The anomaly of more than 50% of the driving population believing itself to be better than average
4.3 To rectify these traits requires guidance – a positively encouraging hand from Government – and not a reliance on enforcement, with its resulting antipathy towards authority. To achieve greater awareness, there will be a financial cost – through advertising campaigns, media programmes and promotional exercises. This may involve nursing the public’s obsession with high profile celebrities and encouraging them to act as ‘road culture ambassadors’, with whom the target audience(s) feels that it can identify. The cost of such ongoing campaigns is minimal, when compared with the investment required to build wider roads or erect nationwide ‘intelligent’ and potentially unreliable transport systems. Encouraging the population to become more responsible starts in childhood and lasts a lifetime. Future generations will benefit from today’s foresight.
4.4 All messages need to be simple, memorable and make sense to the target audience. Drivers must open their eyes to the problems they can cause, starting with a more comprehensive and regular eyesight testing regime. (Recommendation from the Eye Health Alliance, 2010)
4.5 In addition to a number of suggestions listed in our previous submission to this Committee (1 November 2010)2, our experience leads us to conclude that wherever possible, simplification of the driving environment will assist the driver in focusing on the task in hand, which will inevitably result in fewer traffic incidents – the major cause of traffic congestion. By focusing on improving driver behaviour and skills, there will without doubt, be fewer incidents, road closures and delays and their economic impact will be minimised.
4.6 Confusion arising from excess signage and superfluous street furniture is a further issue – the increasing proliferation of unnecessary and often over-complicated road signage leads to hesitation and indecision, not just for British nationals. Poor placement often results in reduced or even blocked views for drivers. They have a detrimental impact on the environment, are costly and lack consistency across counties. The brain, already involved in highly complex tasks, becomes overloaded. The result is unnecessary distraction, misunderstanding and misinterpretation, often leading to non-compliance, inappropriate decision-making and incidents.
4.7 With fewer signs, there would be less ‘clutter’ and a more pleasant environment for all. Placing fewer signs also results in cost savings for the Local Authority. Removal of unnecessary signs reduces maintenance costs. Clarification and simplification of statutory rules on where to position necessary signs and guidance on uniformity will help authorities, which have tended to ‘over sign’ for fear of prosecution. Careful, competent drivers will welcome a clear, consistent and a more minimalist approach.
5. The relevance of the Highway Code to today’s road users
5.1 The Highway Code (HC) is a particularly good example of the effects of long-term revision rather than recognizing a time for replacement. In 1954 the HC was 6½ "x 4" and contained 32 pages of advice, information on law – and 71 Rules, of which 15 were specifically for pedestrians; 6 were for cyclists; 5 were directed at pedestrians accompanying animals, with the remaining 45 for motorcyclists and drivers. The cost was one Penny.
5.2 Today we have a 145-page book containing 307 Rules, explanations of road signs, road markings and an annexe containing 10 pages of additional information, including some extra Rules (highlighted in red) that could be missed easily. One page is even dedicated to helping the reader to identify the difference between a Highways Agency Traffic Officer (HATO) and a Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) Officer, with additional information on how to identify the different ways a Schools Crossing Patrol operator uses the ‘lollipop’.
5.3 The decision must have been made in the early-1970s that to include the increasing number of signs in the HC would render the book unwieldy. Since 1975 there has been an additional publication ‘Know your Traffic Signs’ that runs to 143 pages, costs £4.99 and is largely unknown to the majority of road users. It is unsurprising that many people make inappropriate decisions, when there is so much to interpret.
5.4 It is unlikely that the majority of people could possibly learn and retain all 307 Rules in the current HC.
5.5 Anecdotal evidence suggests that the newly qualified driver often takes great delight in throwing away the HC along with the ‘L’ plates, never to be referred to again.
5.6 The style of writing and content is aimed at new drivers. More experienced drivers see no reason to own a copy, let alone to refer to it for guidance or memory refreshment.
5.7 The HC should be greatly simplified. Much of what is written could be extracted to form additional modules, thereby enhancing the novice driver curriculum and could be used extensively during the two-year restricted licence phase of learning3. A concise extrapolation of the remainder could be used to form a simplified, user-friendly and pocket-sized legal guide, with the emphasis on ‘legal’ as this would assist drivers in knowing their responsibilities. It would be cost-effective to send copies directly to schools, colleges, libraries and local government offices. The general public could receive their copies at the same time as their applications for a Driving Licence or at the time of annual VED renewal. Production and publication costs could be covered by a nominal one-off increase in vehicle tax, or by commercial sponsorship arising from a PPP, with perhaps a print-house or a major motoring organisation.
5.8 A new HC could start with common sense guidance4 outlining the principles of safe, responsible road use…for example:
ALWAYS
Walk, ride or drive responsibly
Take care
Concentrate
Look before you act – don’t be blind to your ‘blind spots’
Communicate clearly
Allow time to think first
Create space around you
Read the road ahead and use speed intelligently, adjusting it to your surroundings
Drive to the road and weather conditions – not the speed denoted on a sign
Anticipate what might happen – "What if?"
Be decisive, not hesitant
Be calm – don’t rush
Be courteous and considerate
Cooperate with others
Share road space – share information
5.9 The remaining elements, the traffic rules; the ‘Musts’ and ‘Must Nots’; the significance of sign shapes and colour; traffic law and concise motoring advice would follow. A section should be included briefly outlining the need to improve driving skills on a cyclical basis, with inclusion of the benefits of ‘advanced thinking’, safety, improved fuel consumption, more efficient use of time and highlighting the personal satisfaction arising from a sense of greater achievement. At the end of the booklet there would be general references on how the new two-tier licensing system3 would work and the need for already experienced drivers to help and cooperate with ‘R’ plate drivers.
5.10 Simple elements of road and vehicle awareness, linked with the development of a safety culture would be introduced to children of nursery school age, with more complex elements being incorporated as part of a continual process throughout the formative years. The new, simplified and memorable Highway Code would form the backbone of all subsequent learning.
5.11 We highly recommend commitment to a continuation of the excellent awareness presentations to schools, carried out by the police, fire and ambulance services. Fostering a much-needed and positive relationship with the police in particular, from an early age, will do much to refocus ingrained perceptions and enlighten an increasingly unreceptive and uncooperative public to their broader rôle.
5.12 In the 1930’s, The Earl of Cottenham became advisor to the Metropolitan Commissioner of Police and was a major contributor to the development of a safe, systematic and repeatable method of driving (‘Roadcraft’), subsequently adopted by police and other services around the world. With great prescience he wrote,
"Drive with concentration and deliberation and these words will be just as true in fifty years hence..."
"Road sense is the visualising of possible difficulties and dangers before they are apparent and the consequent mental formation of strategy to avoid them..."
Those statements are even more relevant to today’s congested roads, poor attitudes and behaviour, and the increasingly hostile driving environment.
6. Topic 3
"Intelligent traffic management schemes, such as the scheme which has operated on the M42, and their impact on congestion and journey times"
6.1 Successful initiatives in one location (e.g. M42 Active Traffic Management) will not necessarily have the same effect elsewhere. Feasibility studies and research may provide more suitable and cheaper alternatives to costly blanket implementation.
6.2 Variable message signs may ease congestion on a strategic road (Motorways) only to cause a problem for the local authority route chosen as an alternative. On motorways, there are no vulnerable road users. By alerting traffic to problems ahead (variable matrix signs), the already frustrated driver does not necessarily adapt to the more complex driving environment experienced on narrow local roads and higher ‘catch-up’ speeds may result. The greatest congestion often occurs at peak traffic times, which brings diverted traffic into unnecessary conflict with local movements, particularly school age children. Convenience for one set of road users should not have a detrimental effect on others. A balance is necessary.
6.3 While there may be an increasing reliance on satellite navigation and ‘intelligent’ transport systems, the infrastructure is expensive to install and maintain; recent perceptions suggest unexpected unreliability and far cheaper alternatives can be implemented.
7. Topic 4
"the effectiveness of legislative provisions for road management under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and the Traffic Management Act 2004"
The content of this legislation is outside our area of expertise and we have no comment other than to applaud any efforts to implement a cohesive and concurrent plan for street disruptions and collaboration between the Highways Agency and Local Authorities.
8. Topic 5
"the impact of bus lanes and other aspects of road layout"
8.1 With our limited experience of bus lanes, it would appear they have achieved their objectives in some situations but where the road layout precludes a continuation, it is often counterproductive, especially when the backlog of prohibited traffic prevents the bus from continuing into the section further ahead.
8.2 Some bus lanes, on stretches longer than one mile, have had a positive impact on reducing journey times and local awareness campaigns may encourage drivers to change their mode of commuter transport.
8.3 A number of serious injuries to cyclists have resulted from shared use of bus lanes. Extra vigilance is required from both bus drivers and cyclists alike (awareness campaigns). To permit additional classes of vehicle into bus lanes is likely to increase casualty figures and add to the frustrations of prohibited drivers.
8.4 Yet, all of the above-noted points only have relevance when the bus lanes are restricted to bus travel alone. With recent changes to usage, plus the self-interest of other user groups, we run the risk of creating a lane for every type of vehicle, bar the private car.
9. Summary
9.1 It is not roads that make people safe or dangerous. It is the ways in which people use them; from the unaccompanied child walking to school, the teenager listening to his or her personal music system, to the cyclist, motorcyclist, car, van or truck driver. Encouragement must be given from an early age to embrace a culture change that promotes a desire to share our road space safely and with mutual cooperation.
9.2 Through motivation and incentives to embrace a lifelong desire for personal improvement, our lives will be enhanced and Society will refocus on reducing materialism and self-interest.
9.3 Encouraging people to take responsibility for their actions will improve driving standards (which are at an all-time low). By adopting a greater involvement in the driving task, road crash numbers will continue to reduce. The benefit to society is manifold but, in particular, its effect on the finite resources of hospitals and emergency services will have both social and economic ramifications.
9.4 In order to re-build a cohesive, cooperative and inclusive society, we should endeavour to simplify, engage, educate and encourage people to take an active rôle in becoming an integral element of a more thoughtful, less self-centred and more self-reliant nation. The tendency to continue relying upon on a policy that uses punishment, as its major weapon to rectify the symptoms, fails to address or recognise the causal factors. By addressing the causes, we have the opportunity to develop a low cost, enduring solution for a long term future.
9.5 Without doubt, no Member of Parliament would wish to see avoidable harm befall a fellow countryman, particularly when we have the means at our disposal to prevent unnecessary death or injury and improve the quality of life for all road users. Now is the time to begin the process of awareness, before our driving society becomes too deeply entrenched in its susceptibility to demonstrations of recurrent, unacceptable and damaging attitudes and behaviours.
9.6 We are confident that MPs will appreciate the benefits to society that can be achieved by encouraging ‘ownership’ of the problem, a shift towards an understanding of how mutually cooperative values and behaviours can benefit not just the individual but also broader society. With a strong belief in the need to address this issue and by establishing a nationwide desire for cultural inclusion and mutual cooperation, we can motivate, influence and, in time, reap the rewards of a committed investment in the welfare of the nation.
9.7 This issue is not party-political and previous incomplete measures and random quick fixes have regularly failed. Few policies have extended beyond the period of office of the elected Government of the day. With foresight, courage and cross-party collaboration in championing a national culture revolution, based on social responsibility and an expectation of lifelong learning, to which there is no left, right or centrist bias, we have the opportunity of creating a better society for the benefit of all.
9.8 We are optimistic that this committee will be sensitive to the findings in our submission. We have the opportunity of creating an initiative that will have far-reaching effects on the state of the country, in particular:
i. massive savings in healthcare, emergency services, traffic management schemes, repairs and insurance costs
ii. Vastly improved air quality
iii. Greater savings in fuel usage
iv. A more complete and contented society
v. A positive benefit in reduction of the human aspects following injury or death collisions
vi. An enduring legacy for future generations
3 Recommendation for implementation of two-tier licensing (1 November 2010)
4 CDD Common Sense Guide to safe, responsible road use™
Research papers (CDD) ‘Cradle to Grave’ educational programmes; road safety (please refer to CDD)
Further references as per CDD evidence papers, (1 November 2010)
March 2011
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