DESIGNATION OF A SYSTEM OF PRIORITY (RED) ROUTES AND CREATION OF THE TRAFFIC DIRECTOR FOR LONDON

This paper describes various aspects of London's new system of Priority Routes (Red Routes), and discusses the creation of the post of Traffic Director for London. Priority Routes aim to reduce the impact of congestion and improve the movement of existing traffic, by using London's existing road system more efficiently, so that people and goods can move around London more easily, reliably and safely. The key to this approach is to achieve the right balance between conflicting demands for road space, so that all these aims are fulfilled. There is no intention to achieve any of them at the expense of the environment. Along a Priority Route, traffic management is reviewed in detail, metre by metre, and appropriate traffic regulations are introduced. Between January and March 1992, the Department of Transport (DTp) consulted widely about which roads should be Priority Routes. The proposals were based on the Primary Route Network, which includes most major roads serving London. Additional bus priority routes are being planned. The DTp tested various measures, that are likely to be used, on a 12.5km Pilot Red Route Scheme in North and East London, whose results were dramatically successful at reducing road accident casualties and journey times of buses and other vehicles. The DTp aims for all Priority Routes in London to be operational by 1997. For the covering abstract see IRRD 866164.