Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Stages For Comprehensive Road Safety Audit England

By Paul Wilson


The safety of any road needs to be audited at design, construction and even usage stages. This ensures that at every stage, the standards that are set in the market are adhered to. Road safety audit England takes place in clearly set stages. Each stage ensures that the basics are catered for so that more misery or problems are not piled on the project.

The first stage involves an evaluation of the design. The preliminary design must be analyzed to ascertain that it meets the standards set in the industry. This is driven by the fact that the ultimate highway will take shape depending on the design used. If the design falls short of expectations, experts make recommendations for modification.

Stage 1 pays attention to several factors that will inform construction. Among the most important are drainage and how safely other users beyond the motorists have been catered for. These experts will also want to know the provisions made for visibility. The provision made for people walking and cyclists is also a consideration. Marking on the highway and lighting columns are points of concern.

Stage 2 also assesses the design but goes to greater depth. The assessing team is concerned with the features on target highway and provisions made on designs used. The features of interest include carriage way markings, junctions and lighting. Highway layout captures the attention of assessing team throughout the process. At this stage, the entire team should make the trip to site. Their recommendations are important because they will inform modification of design.

Stage 3 auditing happens when the project is at an advanced stage. In fact, experts recommend that it takes place when the road is already open to motorists. This provides room for real time assessment. With users already driving and walking or cycling on the highway, the risks they face can be determined. It is possible to talk about oversights that could have happened during design. This stage should bring together police, local authorities and the auditing team. They are the ones to bear responsibility for the highway.

Stage three assesses whether the design was accurately implemented during construction, whether there were safety loopholes that developed in the process and were unforeseen, were there any design changes and what was the impact on usage? Local alignment is a concern alongside the quality of visibility. The layout of junctions and provisions made for non-motorized users are also assessed. Other concerns at stage three are lighting, markings on carriageways and signage.

Stage 4 and the last one is continuous monitoring. The first year of usage is critical because errors with design can cause accidents. Keep track of the accidents that happened during the first year and their details so that remedial work can be done on affected sections. Collision monitoring is also done with details on the location and common factors in these accidents.

It is important to deal with professionals during this exercise. Their input helps you to make the right and broad viewed decision. Experienced professionals understand how roads are constructed. They will ensure that you get excellent value for money on your project and have a safe road in perpetuity.




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