| | QUIET LANES
"Quiet Lanes" are an initiative of the Countryside Agency. They are minor rural roads which have been treated appropriately to enable shared use by cyclists, walkers, horse riders and motorized users. They are part of a toolkit of ideas the Countryside Agency has for improving travel choice, the quality of life and strategic traffic management of rural roads - to the benefit of local residents and businesses as well as visitors. We are working on pilot schemes with local authorities in conjunction with countryside communities.
Quiet Lanes are described as:-
"A network of lanes, possibly/preferably in adjoining parishes where the existing quiet nature of the lanes is preserved by calming to allow better SHARED road use by cyclists, horse riders, walkers and other non-motorized users as well as motorized road users such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, lorries and farm vehicles etc."
A Quiet Lane or Quiet Lane Project is about...
- making travel easier for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
- encouraging cars to travel at slower speeds
- developing partnerships with local communities
- encouraging changes in driver and user behaviour
- preserving lanes with existing low levels of traffic travelling at low speeds
- respecting the local environment - managing and conserving the local landscape and character
- developing links with other types of route if necessary to create local 'networks' for communities to use.
A Quiet Lane or Quiet Lanes project is not...
- about speed limits (non have been imposed so far)
- about urban traffic calming/traffic calming measures
- an attempt to deny access to cars nor be anti-car
- an attempt to restrict choice but to widen it, so that a variety of travel methods are possible and enjoyable
- an attempt to disrupt the economic life of the countryside or prevent motorized vehicles such as
- delivery vans, farm machinery or emergency vehicles from going about their business
- about traffic calming busy roads.
Quiet Lanes are not roads closed to access by motor vehicles, although some (very few) may be for access only or may restrict the type of vehicle able to use it. These would all be part of local consultation.
Quiet Lanes are not roads where non-motorized users have priority over motor vehicles, NOBODY has priority.
This means the roads must still be able to be used by cars, trucks, farm and emergency vehicles etc., as they are now. So the project is not about closing roads.
It is also not about, in general, making entrances to the roads impossible for these vehicles although making it less attractive is desirable. It is not about speed limits and none appear to have been imposed so far in other Quiet Lanes schemes. Neither have speed humps/bumps been used but rumble strips, painted narrowing lines, gated entrances etc., have been used.
We should not see Quiet Lanes as an attempt to stop traffic at all costs.
To qualify for consideration to be included into a Quiet Lanes project a road must already have/be:-
- vehicle speeds of less than 35 mph average
- vehicle flows of less than 650 vehicles per day average, (only lanes up to 600 vehicles per day have been included so far)
- a route width of less than 3.5 metres
and...
- not be a road classified as A or B (i.e. A20, B2016),
- not provide direct routes for motor vehicles between settlements
should/must...
- link to form a network
- connect with villages and towns
- link with potential journey destinations such as pubs, shops
- form links with other rights of way such as paths and bridleways
- have safe termination points
When completed a Quiet Lane will be...
- a route that provides better local accessibility by making better use of minor roads and public rights of way
- close to peoples' homes to provide leisure opportunities and/or better access to shops, schools and community facilities
- a route where there are fewer cars and they are travelling at slower speeds than normal
- a route that is safer for those who are not in motor vehicles
- a route that retains some tranquillity and respect for the environment
- a route where hedges, verges, walls and trees are managed particularly sensitively, both to improve
the landscape, retain local character, and make travel easier for walkers, disabled users, cyclists, and horse riders of all ages and abilities.
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