Route improvement safety schemes

Route improvement safety schemes are engineering and enforcement projects designed to reduce road collisions and casualties along specific corridors. Swindon Borough Council use collision data and review existing highway infrastructure to identify high-priority routes for intervention. 

Key components of route improvement safety schemes

Schemes are prioritised using a weighted casualty system that analyses police-recorded data (STATS19) on fatal, serious, and slight collisions over a three-year period. This allows the council to focus resources on the routes with the highest casualty rates.

Our engineers adopt the "Safe System" approach, which acknowledges that humans make mistakes and works to design a forgiving road system. This includes managing speeds and using vehicle and road infrastructure to absorb crash energy and minimise severe injuries.

Independent road safety audits are conducted at different stages of a scheme's development and after construction is complete. The auditors assess the design from all road users' perspectives to identify and mitigate potential safety issues.

Any potential schemes will involve collaboration between Swindon Borough Council, police and other relevant stakeholders. This enables the use of targeted enforcement and educational initiatives alongside physical changes to the road

The outcomes of the review are reported to Ward Councillors and any priority sites recommended for inclusion in the following year’s works programme, subject to the availability of funding.