Pilot home zone schemes: evaluation of Cavell Way, Sittingbourne

Cavell Way, Sittingbourne, a relatively deprived area, is one of nine home zone schemes in a pilot programme set up by the Department for Transport (DfT). TRL was commissioned by DfT to assess the effectiveness of each pilot home zone scheme in achieving it's aims. The layout and landscaping of the scheme are described. In order to determine their impact, a comprehensive 'before' and 'after' monitoring programme was devised. This included attitudinal surveys of residents both adults and children, collection of traffic flow, traffic speed, accident data and video recording. This report presents a comparison of the results of these 'before' and 'after' surveys and reaches a conclusion regarding the impact the home zone has had upon residents lives. 76% of the respondents were in favour of the home zone before it was installed and 38% after installation. About half of the respondents thought that the area was less attractive after the home zone than before, and that vehicle speeds had decreased. Two-thirds of respondents thought that the amount of vehicular traffic was unchanged. 28% of respondents thought that drivers were more considerate to children and 11% considered that they were less considerate. 2-4% of respondents considered the road more dangerous for vulnerable road users as the pavements are not defined. 91% of respondents said that the amount of time they spent outside in the street had not changed. Attitudes varied as to whether the road was safe for children to play in. This also depended on the age of the child. Of the 17 children interviewed, 14 considered that their journey to school was unchanged by the home zone. A reduction in accidents and near misses was recorded in the home zone. (A)