CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION
The Council seeks to minimise pedestrian and vehicular conflict and reduce traffic speed in residential streets. It also seeks to make streets safe for individuals and families to walk (or play) and to increase the level of landscaping in streets to enhance local amenity. Accordingly, the Council intends to introduce a programme of 20mph speed restrictions in appropriate residential areas.
‘Home Zones’ also have the potential to be introduced into the City, the design principles of which are:
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to give pedestrians priority over cars;
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the street is designed to limit car speed to 10mph or less; and
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the change in the status of the street is made visible using signage, traffic calming and altered streetscape.
These have been introduced successfully in mainland Europe. The Council will support the introduction of Home Zones in appropriate locations (see policy RES 2: Residential Site Layouts).
POLICY
Major development proposals will require to consider the need for the formation, adaptation or improvement of traffic management and/or traffic calming. Submissions should take account of the following criteria:
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housing developments require to include traffic calming to enable 20 mph zones to be introduced;
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potential for the creation of a home zone should be considered;
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allocation of road space should accord with the Council’s road user hierarchy for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, freight and car/motorcycle;
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good streetscape design;
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high standard of surface treatment/landscaping;
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incorporation of pedestrian crossing facilities and other pedestrian priority facilities;
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provision of barrier free access facilities;
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provision of suitable cycle infrastructure; and
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consideration of maintenance implications and the provision of maintenance agreements.