Design Manual aims to put
Well-Designed Residential Streets at the Heart of Sustainable Communities
COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (063) issued by The Government News Network
on 29 March 2007
New guidance on
street design aims to breathe new life into communities by
creating safe and sustainable environments for residents,
Transport Minister Gillian Merron announced today.
Manual for Streets, a joint publication between the Department
for Transport and Communities and Local Government, emphasises the
importance of residential streets in the creation of places in
which people want to live. In particular it aims to reduce the
impact of vehicles on residential streets by asking practitioners
to plan street design intelligently and proactively, and gives a
high priority to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and users of
public transport.
The guidance sets out an approach to the creation of residential
streets that recognises their role in creating places with local
distinctiveness and identity that work for all members of the
community. It also urges practitioners to use street design to
promote better social interaction and reduce crime and anti-social
behaviour, and to encourage the use of sustainable modes of
transport, such as walking, cycling and public transport
Gillian Merron said:
"The way our streets are designed affects us all everyday,
yet it is all too easy to consider streets simply as areas between
two points, forgetting the important role they play in bringing
communities together.
"The Government is serious about creating places where
people want to live, work and play. This manual represents a more
balanced approach to the very varied needs of all users, and not
just those who are simply driving through."
Communities and Local Government Minister Baroness Andrews said:
"The Manual for Streets will provide guidance for all
practitioners involved in the planning and design of streets
within sustainable communities. Well designed streets with
planning and transport systems discouraging reliance on the car
will help to tackle climate change as well as improving safety.
"Streets are not simply a way of getting from A to B. They
are vital elements of residential areas which greatly affect the
overall quality of life for local people. Streets built hundreds
of years ago still stand the test of time. We need to make sure
that streets built today, pave the way to the sustainable
communities of the future."
The Manual for Streets will be unveiled today by Gillian Merron
MP at the Institute of Highways and Transportation conference, in London.
Notes to Editors
1. Manual for Streets replaces Design
Bulletin 32, first published in 1977, and its companion guide
Places, Streets and Movement. It puts well-designed residential
streets at the heart of sustainable communities.
For the
Manual for Streets go to: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1509196
2. Producing the manual involved wide-ranging consultation with a
range of bodies and organisations involved in the planning,
design, approval and provision of residential streets.
3. Manual for Streets promotes street designs which naturally
encourage low traffic speeds by geometry and layout rather than
relying solely on physical traffic calming measures.
4. Manual for Streets does not set out new policy. Rather it
presents guidance on how to do things differently within the
existing policy, technical and legal framework and implements the
design policies contained in PPS3 Housing.
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