purpletigron (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
purpletigron) wrote2007-05-22 06:08 pm
purpletigron) wrote2007-05-22 06:08 pm
Naked Streets
There is a campaign locally to re-generate our High Street with a Shared Space scheme. The key idea is to build public spaces that people can use effectively in practice. In the UK, there is no accepted body of knowledge on how to design High Streets. There are long-established techniques which work reasonably well for single-purpose 'highways' (trunk routes and motorways). There is emerging guidance for purely residential streets, which have many purposes such as access and social interaction. But our High Streets have 'just happened' as motor vehicles have grown to dominate our roads.
The principle put forward last night is this: Remove everything from our streets which doesn't do a useful job (like confusing and cluttered signs and road markings). Allow people to use normal human skills to work together in the High Street context.
The results reported from schemes on the Continent and in the UK are encouraging. People do seem to use the streets more effectively, and safely, when the authoritarian 'Highway' model is removed. Maximum vehicle speeds reduce, but so to journey times because through traffic is moving more smoothly. Slower moving vehicles use less road space, so there is more room for parking, which means local businesses benefit. People find the street more pleasant, so spend longer there too. There are significantly fewer incidents where people get injured.
It seems that these schemes mean that the people in cars are once again on an equal footing with other people in the area. Road users are already responsible under UK law for their own safety. In Shared Space, people realise these responsibilities, and drivers treat other road users with proper respect and consideration.
I am very interested in learning more about this!
The principle put forward last night is this: Remove everything from our streets which doesn't do a useful job (like confusing and cluttered signs and road markings). Allow people to use normal human skills to work together in the High Street context.
The results reported from schemes on the Continent and in the UK are encouraging. People do seem to use the streets more effectively, and safely, when the authoritarian 'Highway' model is removed. Maximum vehicle speeds reduce, but so to journey times because through traffic is moving more smoothly. Slower moving vehicles use less road space, so there is more room for parking, which means local businesses benefit. People find the street more pleasant, so spend longer there too. There are significantly fewer incidents where people get injured.
It seems that these schemes mean that the people in cars are once again on an equal footing with other people in the area. Road users are already responsible under UK law for their own safety. In Shared Space, people realise these responsibilities, and drivers treat other road users with proper respect and consideration.
I am very interested in learning more about this!