LONDON'S BLACKSPOT PROGRAM

This article describes London's program to select, analyze, and treat high-risk accident sites (blackspots), which has been greatly facilitated by the use of a computerized accident-statistics system. Several years worth of accident records for a proposed site can be examined quickly in order to determine any patterns to the accidents as well as their frequency, and if there is a remedial measure that will give a good rate of return. (The target is 100 on the first-year rate of return; but in practice it is usually much higher, as the measures taken are generally low in cost, especially in comparison with the cost of an accident) and can be implemented quickly, it is implemented. The remedial measures employed so far include traffic signal modification, street lighting improvement, pedestrian facilities, traffic sign improvements, parking restriction, vehicle channelization, anti-skid surfacings and traffic management. An early study of the first 85 sites implemented showed a reduction of 37 percent in the number of accidents. By using the results of this study, it is estimated that the annual savings to the community is 2000 accidents or, by the Department of Transport cost estimates, $16 million.