The HS2 Road Safety Fund

The government has made funding available to address issues that have been created or made worse by the construction of High Speed 2 (HS2).

Buckinghamshire has an HS2 Road Safety Fund of £3.95 million, which is being allocated in a series of tranches. The first two tranches were released in 2021 and 2022. The third and final tranche is being released on 1 May 2024.

The funding is intended to contribute towards the costs of road safety schemes which will have a lasting benefit for road users and communities.

In 2021, £1 million was made available for the first tranche of funding.

We received 35 applications for road safety schemes with an estimated total cost in excess of £4 million.

We have now approved 17 schemes which will contribute to a long term legacy of safer roads.

The following road safety schemes have been delivered by Buckinghamshire Council:

• Speed Indicator Devices for use at Westcott, Quainton and Waddesdon
• improved visibility of School Hill/Werner Terrace junction at Charndon
• white edge marking to various stretches of the A4010
• improved visibility of Bradenham Wood Lane junction with the A4010
• traffic calming measures on the A4010 at Bradenham and improved warnings/visibility of the Chiltern Rail bridge
• traffic calming measures on the A4010 at Saunderton
• installation of high kerbing to prevent parking outside Esso and BP/M&S petrol stations on the A40 at Denham
• traffic calming measures at the entrances to Water Stratford
• parking restrictions around bus stops on Brackley Lane at Calvert
• a footpath between Gaydon and the Fremantle Nursing Home at Ellesborough
• a puffin crossing at Westbury
• an upgrade of the existing crossing outside Stoke Mandeville Combined School, to improve visibility and cater for cyclists

The following road safety schemes are due to be delivered by Buckinghamshire Council by the end of 2024:

• a pedestrian crossing outside Hyde Heath Infant School

£1.6 million was made available for the second tranche of funding in 2022 and applications for a further 39 road safety schemes with an estimated collective cost in excess of £6.75 million were submitted.

8 schemes have now been approved and a further 4 schemes are being considered for delivery subject to cost.

The following road safety schemes have been delivered by Buckinghamshire Council:

• Speed Indicator Device (SID) for use on A418 Oxford Road at Stone
• Sentinel device and SID posts at Quainton
• 2 Speed Indicator Devices for use on Edgcott Road, Grendon Underwood
• 2 Speed Indicator Devices for use at Steeple Claydon
• traffic calming measures on School Hill

The following road safety schemes have been approved for delivery by Buckinghamshire Council:

• traffic calming measures on the A4129 at Kingsey
• traffic calming measures at Gawcott
• widening of bell mouth at School Hill/Perry Hill junction, Charndon

The following schemes are currently being considered for delivery, subject to cost:

• a zebra crossing at Robertswood School, Chalfont St Peter
• raising of existing zebra crossings on Deanway and High Street, Chalfont St Giles
• new puffin crossing on A418 opposite Church Street at Wing
• a footpath along the A355 between Ledborough Land and Longbottom Lane at Beaconsfield

View the location of the approved schemes on a map

The final tranche of funding will be open for applications from 1 May to 31 July 2024.

The cost of schemes in the first 2 tranches has been higher than initially anticipated due to cost inflation in the construction sector and based on actual costs to date, plus cost estimates for the remaining schemes in progress. We estimate having approximately £600,000 to allocate. As with the schemes already delivered and those in the pipeline, we will be specifically looking for schemes that will provide a long-term solution to address road safety concerns which have been created or made worse by HS2.

With rising construction costs and the desire to benefit as many communities as possible, the final tranche will focus on smaller schemes, for example traffic calming measures involving signage, road markings or speed indicator devices. We will also give priority to parishes that have not yet benefited from the HS2 Road Safety Fund.

If you have any queries or require more information, email [email protected].