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Our Streetscape Design
Over the last 50 years, highway proposals related to residential development have tended to focus on the ease of movement for vehicles at the expense of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
Recently the Department for Transport released new guidance with the intention of redressing the balance.
Streets are almost by definition, roads that serve households. In recent years there has been a realisation that the traditional social cohesion offered by extended families and fellow workers all living in the same street has broken down. In addition the growth in car ownership has further amplified the factors that physically separate communities. Given the growing concerns regarding fossil fuel usage, this is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
The new Manual for Streets aims to recreate the idea of streets being places where people live and can interact safely. It is not an anti car philosophy but rather an attempt to encourage and sustain supportive communities.
Byways & Highways Ltd has extensive experience of adoption of new proposed highways and fully understands the nuances to enable streetscapes to be adopted whilst complying with manual for streets.
The new Manual for Streets:-
- Balances the importance of streets as "places" and areas of "movement"
- It places pedestrians rather than vehicles at the heart of the design process
- Recommends that 20 MPH speed limits are the norm in residential areas
- Recommends that designs are assessed via Quality Audit, encompassing safety but not ruled by quantitative measures.
Byways & Highways Ltd has a proven track record in innovative residential road design. We have a sound understanding of the various elements that need to be addressed in producing designs that are attractive, sustainable, permeable and safe for all residents and visitors. Byways & Highways Ltd aim to inform the design process to ensure that developers street layouts are designed and constructed to an adoptable standard.
