Decision details

Report details a new Road Safety Audit Standard to replace the existing 2005 Standard in order to better comply with the latest national guidance from Highways England (HD 19/15) and to address identified deficiencies in the current standard

That the Sheffield Road Safety Audit Standard 2018 be adopted as the new road safety audit standard for schemes on the Sheffield highway network.

Updating the Sheffield Road Safety Audit Standard will bring Sheffield City Council’s procedures more in line with national guidance and will, by creating a more vigorous standard for ensuring road safety on the Sheffield highway network, help ensure that the risk of collisions associated with new highway schemes (including private developments) is minimised as much as possible.  This will contribute to a reduction the number and severity of collisions.

A formal procedure is desirable as the Council is actively becoming more and more involved in the audit of private developer schemes, with the double benefits of bringing money into the Council as well as better ensuring a safer road network as detailed above. 

It would be possible to continue using the Sheffield Road Safety Audit Standard 2005 instead of the proposed 2018 standard.  However, there are significant drawbacks in doing this as identified in Section 1 of the report.  Also, such an approach could increase the risk that the Council is found not to be discharging its obligation in section 39 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. It could also give rise to increased risks that liability may be incurred when doing audits on private developer schemes.