Bringing Communities Together for Safer Roads
Community Function
Understanding the role roads play in people's everyday lives
At Voices for Road Safety, we believe that roads are more than transport corridors. They are an essential part of our communities, connecting people to work, education, healthcare, businesses, leisure activities and each other.
When considering road safety, local authorities already assess important factors such as engineering, traffic and collision history. These are fundamental to making informed decisions.
Voices for Road Safety believes there is value in considering one additional element alongside these established assessments:
Community Function
What role does this road play in the daily life, wellbeing and economy of the communities it serves?
This is not intended to replace existing engineering or road safety assessments. Instead, it aims to complement them by recognising how roads are experienced and used by the people who rely on them every day.
A road's Community Function may include:
- Connecting villages and local communities.
- Providing access to schools, healthcare and local services.
- Supporting farming and rural businesses.
- Enabling tourism and access to the countryside.
- Providing popular routes for walking, cycling and running.
- Supporting horse riding and equestrian activities.
- Connecting public rights of way and recreational routes.
- Supporting public transport and community facilities.
- Contributing to the physical and mental wellbeing of local communities.
Every road serves a purpose beyond carrying vehicles. It supports people's lives, livelihoods and wellbeing.
By recognising a road's Community Function, alongside engineering, traffic and collision history, we believe road safety decisions can be informed by a broader understanding of how roads contribute to the communities they serve.