Quiet Lanes

What's the problem?

In 2005, the number of car drivers and passengers killed on rural roads was 1,336, compared with 339 on urban roads. The vast majority of these (71%) were men. 240 of the fatalities on rural roads in 2005 occurred in the South East (Department of Transport, 2006).

Rising levels of traffic are turning once peaceful lanes into urban thoroughfares. Speeding traffic is a particularly dangerous problem in narrow, winding rural roads and in tranquil villages. Cars often share these rural roads with walkers, horse-riders and cyclists and combining these activities can have fatal consequences. This encourages car use for short journeys because people are too fearful to walk or cycle.

What are Quiet Lanes?
Following a national CPRE campaign for 'Safer Country Lanes', the Transport Act 2000 provided local authorities with the power to designate roads as 'Quiet Lanes'. The Quiet Lanes scheme allows communities to work together towards safer roads, and to reduce the risk of accidents and fatalities.

Quiet Lanes are minor rural roads or networks of minor rural roads appropriate for shared use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and other vehicles. The aim of Quiet Lanes is to maintain the character of minor rural roads by seeking to contain the rising traffic levels now widespread in rural areas.

There are three key elements to a Quiet Lanes scheme:

•  community involvement to encourage a change in user behaviour;

•  area-wide direction signing to discourage through traffic; and

•  Quiet Lane entry and exit signs to remind drivers that they are entering or leaving a designated Quiet Lane ; a place where they may expect people to be using the whole of the road space for a range of activities.

The speed of vehicles must be low enough to satisfy the local traffic authority that any permitted activities may be enjoyed safely by people of all ages and abilities. It is recommended that designated Quiet Lanes should have no more than about 1000 motor vehicles per day.

Many of our Sussex lanes do not fit this criteria. To this end we organised two 'Safer and Quieter Rural Roads' conferences for Parish Councils and campaign groups.

Representatives from eighty parishes across Sussex attended, sharing experiences of villagers who have successfully campaigned for improved speed management. As a result of the meetings several new schemes were initiated.

We committed to changing attitudes, as we believe speeding is just as anti-social as drinking and driving.

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