Network safety policy

The primary purpose of a road safety audit is that road safety professionals, qualified and experienced in collision investigation and prevention, use their knowledge to ensure that safety issues are designed out of new and altered road layouts.

The procedures referred to in this policy apply to all works that involve the construction of new highways or permanent changes to the existing highway layout or features, on roads for which Buckinghamshire Council is the Highway Authority. The Policy allows for some low cost small scale schemes, such as minor carriageway or footway improvement, or bollard installation, to be self-assessed by a suitably trained project manager, engineer or technician.

Road safety audits are also required for schemes designed by external consultants under agreement with Buckinghamshire Council (for example on developer-led schemes).

The application of the road safety audit service throughout the design process, by continuous safety monitoring, ensures that the infrastructure we provide for our customers is less prone to potential collision problems. It shows that BC has taken all reasonable and practicable steps to consider and amend any potential safety impacts of a scheme. It also ensures that costly amendments to a scheme at a later stage are avoided.

This is a formal process resulting in a signed road safety audit report. road safety audits are intended to be carried out at:

• preliminary/feasibility design (Stage 1)
• detailed design (Stage 2)
• post construction stage (Stage 3)
• further audits may be carried out as a collision monitoring report post construction, usually 12 months after construction. (Stage 4)

A Stage 1 and Stage 2 RSA may be combined under certain circumstances. Finally, Interim or supplementary Road Safety Audits may be carried out during the design process on all or a specific part of the scheme.