An integrated speed management plan to reduce vehicle speeds in residential areas: Implementation and evaluation of the Silverberry Action Plan

IntroductionSpeeding in residential areas is one aspect of a larger set of problems related to speeding and traffic safety. The problem affects the safety of vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists), specifically young children, and creates a sense of insecurity due to the risk of being involved in a vehicle crash and the seriousness of ensuing injuries.MethodThis paper describes the implementation and evaluation of an integrated speed management plan to reduce vehicle speeds on residential roads. A before-after experimental design with comparison group was employed for the evaluation. To address the fact that the effectiveness of treatment might diminish with time, two sets of speed data were collected with one immediately after the treatment and another after four months.ResultsStatistical analysis reveals that the proposed plan can effectively reduce vehicle speeds and speed variances for both the short and long term. The effectiveness was found to vary with time of day and day of week. Overall, reductions of mean speed were estimated at 2.94 km/h (5.8%) and 2.26 km/h (4.5%) for the short term and long term, respectively.Impact on IndustryThe study shows that an integrated speed management strategy, which combines education and enforcement activities with a low cost engineering treatment, can effectively reduce vehicle speeds on residential roads with a potential to improving road safety.

► Before-after evaluation with comparison group was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated speed management action plan.
► The proposed plan was found effective in reducing the average speed and speed variance in both short and long terms.
► The effectiveness was found to vary with time of day and day of week.
► Overall, reductions of mean speed were estimated as 2.94 km/h (5.8%) and 2.26 km/h (4.5%) for short term and long terms, respectively.
► Combining education and enforcement activities with a low cost engineering treatment can effectively improve road safety.