page_title: Slough experiment
section_title: Results
hierarchical_section_title: Slough experiment / Results
context_page_description: The Slough experiment was a two-year road safety trial carried out in Slough, Berkshire, England, from 2 April 1955 to 31 March 1957. Different road safety innovations were tested to determine if they would reduce the number of road accidents. Amongst other innovations the experiment trialled the first linked traffic signals in the country, single yellow no-waiting lines, a keep left system for pedestrians and yield signs at junctions. The experiment also saw the first use of 20 mph and 40 mph speed limits in the UK. The experiment cost at least £133,100 and resulted in a 10% reduction in serious injuries and fatalities.
context_section_description: The Slough experiment cost £124,900 in infrastructure and £8,200 in training and publicity. This did not include staff costs which were borne by the budgets of the providing organisations. The experiment provided enough data for years of ongoing study afterwards. By November 1955 it was shown that road accident injuries and fatalities were steady in Slough, in spite of an increase of 11% nationwide. By the end of the experiment it was shown that Slough had achieved a 10% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries compared to a 9% rise nationwide over the same period. A rise in the number of minor injuries was attributed to better reporting due to greater public awareness and the heightened police presence. The experiment led to an increase in the number of people surveyed who considered that Slough was safer than other towns.
  The new light-controlled pedestrian crossings proved to be three times safer than an uncontrolled crossing. The neon rectangular pedestrian signals were selected as the most appropriate of the three types trialled and were adopted for future crossings. Light-controlled pedestrian crossings were further developed into the panda crossing which were in use from 1961 and the pelican crossing which were implemented from 1969 and remain in use.
  The use of luminous road markings was not adopted as it proved no more effective than existing markings in areas with a good level of street lighting. The use of amber cat's eyes at junction approaches did not prove effective and was discontinued.  The "keep left" pedestrian footpath markings did not prove effective as the majority of the pedestrians proved to walk on the right-hand side or else walked adjacent to shop frontages for ease of window shopping. The experiment's final report recommended the adoption of the no waiting and no loading kerbside markings and further experimentation with the 20 mph and 40 mph speed limits – these measures would later be adopted across the country. Slough continued to promote itself as the "safety town" for at least the next fifty years, a fact that was highlighted in news reports of 2007 when it was revealed that Slough had an accident rate 35.7% above the national average.
caption: Modern British pedestrian crossing signals panel
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