The Red Routes Casualty Reduction Project was a joint venture involving the partners of the Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership (CSRP) to address local concerns and reduce road casualties.
Signage was installed indicating the number of casualties, fatalities and collisions on the routes throughout Cheshire with the worst collision problems. Analysis of the collision history for the three year period 1st January 2003 to 31st December 2005 was undertaken and prioritised. As a result, Red Route signs were installed in 2005 on sections of the A50, A530 and B5077 within Cheshire East and on routes throughout the other Cheshire areas.
Although the signs are still in place in Cheshire East, significant safety measures have been introduced on these routes since 2005. These include lowering of speed limits, improved signing and road markings, installation of VAS and SID signs, and resurfacing work. This has resulted in a significant reduction in collisions on these routes.
It is intended to remove these redundant signs for the following reasons;
- The information displayed is 12 years out of date,
- Road Safety measures introduced since the signs were installed have had a positive impact, resulting in a decrease in injury collisions and casualties,
- Their initial impact has diminished on motorists who use the routes regularly,
- The other partners in the CRSG removed their signs some time ago,
- There is a new directive from Government to reduce sign clutter, particularly in rural areas.
Monitoring of the routes will continue to take place and safety measures will be considered at specific locations if deemed necessary.