Life is now returning to the UK's urban streets, and this paper is intended to celebrate the fact by way of a short history lesson, an even shorter English lesson, a brief look at the foundations for change, and an account of many of the actions that have been and are being taken to give our towns and cities their streets back. The success of Segregation as an urban highway design philosophy in the UK was assured for decades, starting in the early 1940s. In the English language "roads" are to be understood primarily as transit corridors, but "streets" are seen as places, albeit linear ones, where the focus is on the variety of activities that take place there and also on the buildings. Nevertheless, the majority of transport practitioners in the UK have seemed to lack the vision or the confidence or the sense of purpose to create and maintain streets as places that people can and will come to and enjoy. It is suggested that the complexity of streets presents a range of challenges to designers who have not been trained to deal with complexity and consequently seek all opportunities to simplify matters. Examples demonstrate where the UK, and its transport and other built environment professionals, have already begun the process of changing traffic-dominated transit corridors into vibrant, safe, attractive, multipurpose, inclusive urban streets. Earlier in 2005, the Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned the production of a Manual for Streets (MfS). The stated purpose of the MfS is to consolidate the necessary components for effective street design into a single, integrated source of information and guidance that will facilitate professional communication and understanding. The use of home zones, mixed priority routes, revitalising main roads, and the contribution of English Heritage are discussed. Projects described include Kensington High Street, Camden Boulevard, Shoreditch Triangle, A650 Bingley Bypass, Lyndhurst High Street, Maid Marian Way Nottingham and Marylebone-Euston Road London. For the covering abstract please see ITRD E135207.
Samenvatting