The results of surveys carried out by the Chilterns Conservation
Board show that traffic problems are high on the agenda of people
living in the Chilterns. This has prompted the Conservation
Board to work in partnership with County Councils and the Countryside
Agency to look at ways of tackling the negative effects of traffic
on Chilterns communities. You can read about the resulting projects in these pages.
In recent decades the car has meant greater mobility and convenience
for millions of people. Car ownership has increased hugely and
as a result the volume of car traffic in England and Wales has
increased 15 times since 1950. This pressure on the road network
has inevitably led to pollution and congestion becoming features
of everyday life.
Roads in the Chilterns are used not just by cars and other vehicles
but by walkers, horse-riders and cyclists. These more vulnerable
users can often be literally forced off the road though by the
speed and volume of vehicle traffic. These are just some of
the issues that need to be tackled.
Deer collisions
Collisions between wild deer and vehicles is a growing national problem. With its
high percentage of woodland cover and increasing deer populations the Chilterns is a
hotspot for such collisions. The National Trust’s Ashridge Estate near Berkhamsted
in particular suffers many deer-related traffic accidents each year. The Estate has had
a number of innovative measures installed in recent years to try and reduce deer-vehicle
collisions, and the results of these plus the results of measures trialled elsewhere in
the country were described at a day-long seminar held in October 2007 at Ashridge.
You can find out more about the seminar and download copies of the various presentations
by visiting the deer collisions website.
Environmental Guidelines for the Management of Highways in the Chilterns
This guidance was first published in 1998 and a second edition was published in 2009.
It was published jointly by the Chilterns Conservation Board and the four highways authorities
in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. The Guidelines contain advice
on management practices which conserve and enhance the rural character of roads and lanes in the
Chilterns AONB. They promote the maintenance of the highways network to minimise its impact on
the nationally-protected landscapes of the AONB and to provide safe routes for walkers, cyclists
and horse riders as well as vehicles. They also include advice on the design of new roads.
