The influence of urban planning on road safety

In France, road safety has become a priority for urban travel plans. A study was conducted to investigate the influence of urban forms on road safety. The method involved identifying the properties of urban forms that influence road safety, analysing their influence, and studying the road safety of urban forms through their properties. Four typical urban forms were considered: traditional area high-density area, single-family housing area and the French 'new town'. The characteristics of the areas studied were identified. Police accident reports were used to study the accidents that occurred during 1996-2000. The influence of road network organisation, distribution of road users in public space, public space organisation, visual characteristics of the road environment, parking space organisation and arterial road layout on road safety was examined. Ways of managing the road safety problems that were identified are discussed. For the covering entryof this conference please see ITRD E132365