8.1 Mixed use streets
A mixed use street is a term used for a street that has more
than one purpose. An obvious example is a high street in a small
town or suburb, which fulfils a function to assist the efficient
movement of through traffic yet is, at the same time, a place
where local people go to shop, sit, and meet their friends.
Thus a relatively confine space needs to accommodate cars, both
moving and parked, delivery vehicles, places for buses to stop
as well as room on the pavements for people to wait in comfort
for buses, cycle storage, wheel chair users, people with disabilities.
It is at the places where people cross the road that more care
is needed. Both formal and informal crossing places are usually
needed.
In the wider context, what makes the street stand out form others
is the quality and setting of its buildings and any incidental
spaces within or immediately adjacent to the street. This requires
considerable attention to the quality of the details of the foreground
and the reduction of clutter
Often the mixed use streets need to be organised so that at
different times in the day or week, various activities have greater
priority.
Shrewsbury's informal corssings in the High Street
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8.2
Traffic sign regulations
Drivers,
by law, have to keep to the left and obey the rules of the road.
If drivers have to vary from the normal, for example drive only
one way along a road, then a legal Traffic Order has to be made
by the highway authority. Drivers need to know about these Orders
and so traffic signs need to be easily understood, accurate and
precise. The traffic signs regulations and general directions (TSRGD)
sets out the design of the signs and in some cases exactly where
in a road they should be placed. But many decisions about traffic
signs are made by the highway authorities. The traffic signs manuals
are intended to help the authorities, but the manuals do not apply
to all cases and are not mandatory.
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8.3
Home zones, 20mph zones
A home zone is a street where pedestrians have priority over
traffic. Often there is a shared surface, with no kerb. To comply
with the Homezone regulations, speeds need to be low enough to
satisfy the local authority that any permitted activity, which
should not include obstructing the road for other users. Speed
reducing and speed control measures, such as traffic calming,
are put in place to ensure low speeds. Key to the designation
of a home zone is a thorough consultation programme and involvement
of the local community. A home zone can be part of a new development
or retrofitted into an existing residential community.
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8.4 Crossings
Controlled crossings, where traffic is controlled, consist of
zebra crossings (with stripes on the road), pelican crossings
(with traffic and pedestrian signals), puffin crossings (with
traffic signals and near-side signals for pedestrians) and toucan
crossings for cycles as well as pedestrians. In addition there
are many variations of informal crossings or simply pedestrian
refuges to help people wait safely for a gap in the traffic.
The growing awareness of mixed use streets and the concept that
many urban streets have an important function as a place, gives
rise to the design of more convenient and comfortable crossings.
Crossings up to 10 metres wide are permitted by the crossings
regulations.
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8.5 20 mph
zones
The purpose of 20 mph zones is to reduce speeds and increase
safety. The severity of accidents, especially to pedestrians,
increases is considerably reduced if vehicles travel at 20 mph
or less. The speed limit is required to be self enforcing. Speed
reducing devices such as speed humps, places where the road is
made narrow, horizontal deviations (sharp corners) and even parked
cars may be used. Some authorities reduce the design speed of
a road by the use of these measures, but keep the legal speed
to 30 mph. This reduces sign clutter. Others designate large
areas as 20 mph zones and produce the same effect.
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