[sustran] [World Streets] Shared Space progress in the UK

[Eric Britton (Paris, France)]

[http://www.ashford.gov.uk/news_and_events/latest_news/more_towns_follow_ashford.aspx]

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Report from Ashford UK.



Where Ashford leads in urban planning and street design, others follow
– that seems to be the message after it was revealed that more than a
dozen UK towns are also adopting shared space concepts to help improve
their streetscapes.



Last month it was reported that Staines, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Hereford
and Edbinburgh were all considering redesigning their urban streets
using the principles of shared space which have been successfully
introduced in Ashford over the past year.



Now further research has shown that more than 12 other UK cities and
towns are also interested in adopting the shared space concept.



These include Oxford, the Suffolk towns of Felixstowe and Ipswich,
Poynton and Macclesfield in Cheshire, Torquay and Babbacombe in Devon,
Stromness on Orkney, two separate locations in Blackpool, the Essex
town of Colchester and various sites in Dorset.



Local authorities in most of these locations are believed to be in the
early stages of design development as part of local regeneration
projects; however Blackpool Council is about to begin construction work
on a shared space scheme covering two sites in the bustling seaside
resort.



New Inn Hall Street, in the heart of Oxford’s congested city centre,
has been earmarked for redevelopment using a shared space approach
similar to that adopted in Ashford.



In November, Ashford completed the first phase of its award-winning
shared space project to transform its 1970s ring road into quality,
two-way streets in which drivers, cyclists and pedestrians have equal
priority. The scheme has opened up the town centre to make it more
attractive to residents, businesses and visitors.

The £15.6m scheme has been implemented by Kent County Council and forms
part of a £2.5bn public and private sector investment programme for
Ashford.



Unnecessary street furniture, road markings and traffic lights have
been removed and the speed limit cut to 20mph. Road surfaces have been
replaced with high-quality materials, wider footpaths and low kerbs, to
create a distinctive streetscape, while artists are transforming the
public space along the road into an attractive tree-lined environment.



Judith Armitt, managing director of Ashford’s Future, the agency
overseeing Ashford’s growth programme, said she was delighted that the
town had created a blueprint for other towns to follow. “The scheme has
made our town centre more attractive to residents and visitors and it’s
playing a vital role in unlocking the commercial development potential
of Ashford.”



Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter said: “The scheme looks
absolutely fantastic. It's just what Ashford needs. It's very modern
and contemporary, and very well designed. This is the first stage. We
have got to build other highway schemes when we get the funding from
the Government or developer contributions.



“It's a completely different experience. It's a shared space where
people change their behaviours - both motorists and pedestrians. The
professionals say it does make drivers and pedestrians more cautious
and has worked in other countries.”



Urban design expert Ben Hamilton-Baillie, who was involved in the
shared space project in Ashford, said he was not surprised that so many
town planners were waking up to the potential of using the shared space
approach to revitalise their public places.



“While it is true that no two schemes or circumstances are ever alike
when comparing the needs of different places, planners in town halls
across the UK are beginning to realise that designing street projects
based on shared space principles is the way forward.”

Source:
http://www.ashford.gov.uk/news_and_events/latest_news/more_towns_follow_ashford.aspx




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Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets at 3/31/2009
01:51:00 PM
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