127 11 Green Streets and Urban Greenways 11. Green Streets and Urban Greenways
128 11 Green Streets and Urban Greenways Once the traffic-free section of a route has come to an end, then comes the remaining element of the overall Greenway route. That is the street sections through the town to the final destination at the centre, the station or the school. We call this final element the Green Street where we need to consider the range of measures needed to make both the pedestrian journey and that of the cyclist, as attractive, memorable and safe, as was the traffic-free part of the journey. The basic principles are simple. The pedestrian should be following a good pavement, free of obstructions, and lined with trees to make the route as attractive as possible and to define the Green Street as a special route. At every side road junction, the pedestrian would take priority with a direct raised pavement crossing. Meanwhile the cyclists would ideally be following the same route on a lightly trafficked and slow speed road. Road closures would reduce the volume of traffic to a minimum whilst giving cyclists a short cut. Where traffic volumes and speeds increase then a range of devices can be used to ensure the safe and continuous passage of cyclists. The diagrammatic sequence of options shown here is intended to illustrate the various elements of a typical journey from the outskirts of a town to its centre. We are using the phrase Green Streets simply to describe streets where the pedestrian and the cyclist are welcomed, and given a degree of priority. It is recognised that in an urban area, these soft modes of transport are to be encouraged by all means possible, and that the invasive presence of traffic and vehicles is to be diminished. The balance is to be adjusted in favour of active travel, fitness and health, convivial public places and a sustainable environment. Whilst every town will have its own style and own priorities, we consider that there are some common threads for encouraging walking and cycling which are shown opposite. An outstanding Green Street: Howard Street linking Peace Gardens to Sheffield Station (CABE) Connect2 and Greenway Design Guide
Diagram showing various urban arrangements for Greenways 129 1. The traffic-free Greenway 2. Crossing to the town streets with a signalised crossing 3. Pedestrians on a tree-lined street with cyclists on a low flow, low speed road 4. Pedestrians cross on raised pavement for priority. Cyclists have short length of cycle lane to mark junction 5. Pavement too narrow for trees so plant in build-outs 6. Cyclists and pedestrians cross on a raised table crossing 7. Pavement widened to take trees and create promenade leaving one-way traffic and counter-flow cycle lane 8. Raised table crossing 9. Widened footway sufficient for shared use on footway appropriate beside busy road 10. Raised zebra crossing of main road for shared use 11. Pedestrianised street, home zone type area, or pedestrianised town centre with cycling allowed 12. Raised table with signals 13. Take every opportunity to slip off Green Streets into a section of true Greenway in a park 11. Green Streets and Urban Greenways
130 11.1 Continuity of Passage for Pedestrians On Green Streets continuity for pedestrians revolves around raised pavement crossings to give a level route with priority through every junction, particularly on all side roads. The whole question of dropped kerbs, versus flush kerbs, is really a product of inadequate consideration for pedestrians. Their route should continue through the urban area on the level, with vehicles giving way and changing level in respect of this priority. There are numerous examples of good practice, and it is a joy to walk around those towns where this is common practice. This raised pavement with zebra crossing gives every advantage to the pedestrian here in Stoke-on- Trent Detail of raised crossing with flush surfaces This example from Rugby shows an almost perfect detail for pedestrians: raised pavement, flush surfaces, a road narrowing with trees all to emphasise that this is the pedestrians space By contrast, these dropped kerbs are convenient but do nothing to emphasises the pedestrians route, and the arrangement is not as convenient as the Rugby example Connect2 and Greenway Design Guide
131 11.2 The Attractiveness of Streets Both pedestrians and cyclists take pleasure from a more attractive street. The pedestrian wants a street free of clutter, particularly signs and meters serving the traffic which should be repositioned in the road space, rather than intrude into the walking domain. Most residential streets are lined with parked cars. The least a Green Street can demand is that these are never parked on the pavement. But much better is a visual separation by a line of trees or if this is not possible, build-outs at junctions and intervals each with a tree so that the long view down the street becomes one of trees rather than cars. As an aside, it should be noted the additional value of street trees in reducing summer temperatures through shade and transpiration resulting in less need for air conditioning, makes them doubly valuable in a world concerned with sustainability. This Camden Street shows how narrow a space the pedestrian has and how half their vision is the frontage of the adjacent properties An all too common street where there is really no place for the pedestrian making attractive journeys and no indication cyclists are particularly welcome The trees define the space for the pedestrians, a different world from that occupied by cars As well as the street side of the pavement, the property side is an aspect which should not be overlooked. Cars parked in front gardens, gravelled spaces instead of plants, broken walls, random fences, and wheelie bins, all serve to diminish the pleasure of the walk along a street. For the Green Street designer, equal thought needs to be given to working with residents and businesses to enhance this aspect of the journey, not necessarily through conformity, but through variety and interest. Businesses in particular should be encouraged to accept that they can make a real contribution to the street scene by the way they treat their frontage, not as a private area, but as an opportunity to promote their concern for the environment. This generous space was created by the factory beside the riverside path at Bath 11. Green Streets and Urban Greenways
132 11.3 Open Spaces on Green Street Routes At intervals along Green Streets, there should be places to pause, to sit, to talk and to watch the world pass by. This can be achieved in a number of ways. The route should go through every park and public space possible, however small. Fragments of open space at road junctions and elsewhere can be brought in as a feature space planted with a few trees. It should also make use of space which is usually bypassed such as church graveyards, which are usually quiet places, the landscaped spaces around public buildings, and playing fields which although publicly owned are too often fenced off from public use. From the view point of the Greenway/Green Street it is the view over these spaces which is so desirable, not necessarily the use of the whole of them, so a strip down one side and an uninterrupted view is all the Green Street user requires. This space acts as a recharging station along the way, replenishing ones energy for the next section in closer proximity to traffic. A fragment of park on the Gloucester and Churchdown Path Museum Street, Camden, where a short length of road closure has created a public space on a longer cycling route Through Queen Square, Bristol (once a dual carriageway) gives a real recharge between one on road section and another Hawley Road, Camden, where a road closure has created public space and a new Greenway Route Of particular interest is the chance to create a small public space in the street itself, either by widening the footway to create a real promenade, or by taking advantage of a road closure to create 20 or 30 metres of space, or even for a build-out to hold a seat as well as a tree. Connect2 and Greenway Design Guide
133 11.4 Home Zones and Similar Treatments Green Street routes will thread into and through whatever Home Zone initiatives are in the area. Every programme to rearrange the use of the street in favour of the pedestrian and cyclists is welcome from a Green Street perspective. The basic Home Zone idea is that local residents have a say in the management of their streets, that traffic speeds are greatly reduced, and that the street moves towards inviting cars in as equal, but not dominating users. These can only serve to encourage walking and cycling. 11.5 Slow Speeds Green Streets should be slow streets with a 20mph speed limit, if not less. At these speeds cyclists can flourish and what accidents do take place will generally be minor rather than major. 20mph on Huntingdon Road, York, as part of a Safe Routes to Schools programme Right and Above right: Home zones in Manchester 11. Green Streets and Urban Greenways
134 11.6 Raised Table Crossings Cyclists will be the majority of traffic following the roads on the Green Street sections of these Greenway routes. They will benefit from the low speeds, and low volume of traffic sought on open streets, as well as tree planting and the open space sections. At cross road junctions, the raised pavement crossing of the side road for pedestrians needs to be extended right across the intersection so that cyclists benefit and pedestrians can also cross the road. Raised table crossing Raised table junction on the way to Hanley from Stoke Station A good example of a raised table in Gloucester Connect2 and Greenway Design Guide
135 11.7 In Summary Green Street sections should have the following characteristics The route should be selected to be direct, attractive, and to have the minimum pressure from traffic Traffic volumes should be decreased as far as possible to allow for access only Traffic speeds should be reduced to 10 or 20 mph, such that the nature of the space is welcoming to walkers and cyclists Footways should be taken through junctions on raised pavements to give priority to pedestrians Cyclists should be taken through junctions on clearly defined lanes Greenway streets should cross minor roads with priority junctions and raised table crossings where appropriate Greenway streets should be planted through their whole length with avenue trees, hedges or planters to give the greatest possible impression of a green space continuing through the urban area and making the route as attractive as possible Wherever the opportunity arises, the Greenway should divert into an adjacent park, fragment of open space, or along the edge of a playing field so as to give the effect of passing from one open and traffic free space to another with the minimum of road in between. Similar to Greenways, the use of gateways and art and sculpture should emphasise and enhance the visual quality to the same standards as the Greenways, encouraging an improved sense of public ownership. Highbury Corner, London. Space reclaimed from the road A tree-lined residential road Bradford s Green Streets the ultimate goal? 11. Green Streets and Urban Greenways
136 11.8 Main Roads and Pedestrianised Town Centres Whilst most of a Greenway route through an urban area will follow residential roads and open spaces, there will be sections of main road, and shopping streets, to incorporate in the popular everyday routes we seek. On main roads whilst there are a variety of measures to support cyclists (cycle lanes, bus lanes and the like) these fall more readily into the category of highway works for cyclists which are covered by other technical documents, and summarised in the Examples of Facilities on the Highway appendix. For Greenway routes, whilst such measures may enhance the safety of the cyclist s journey, they are not usually attractive. Main road sections of Greenway routes should either take space from the road to create a dedicated traffic free route, or widen the footway so as to create sufficient width for a shared use promenade adjacent to the road, or if there is sufficient width already, take the cyclist into this. Pedestrianised town centres are very often the single greatest obstacle to encouraging cycling in any town particularly all those short trips whose very purpose is to go to the town centre! This wide, tree lined pavement has sufficient width for a shared route into the centre of Cheltenham New Rayner s Lane, Harrow: the cycle route takes advantage of trees and flower beds Part of the London Network here space has been taken from Tavistock Road and the twoway cycle route separated from the traffic by a raised kerb Connect2 and Greenway Design Guide
137 Clearly they pose no difficulties for the pedestrian but if the shared use Greenway is to reach all the way for cyclists as well as pedestrians then cyclists need to be accommodated in town centres too. As a general rule there can be no objection to opening town centres outside the peak hours before 10.30am and after 4.00pm as in York and numerous other towns. This then allows regular journeys to school and work to take direct routes to, and through the centre. York, crowded for much of the time, allows cyclists through the centre outside core hours. Even better is to arrange the paving so that there is a clearly defined route for cyclists or even to encourage mixed use as in public spaces in Bristol. There it appears that a low key approach making it clear that cyclists are allowed in the space, thereby giving no cause for offence to pedestrians, seems to get along well. Times when cyclists are allowed in central shopping streets in York Shared use in York 11. Green Streets and Urban Greenways
138 The Centre, Bristol cyclists and pedestrians crossing to a shared use square Millennium Square Bristol, where cycling is marked out with small pavions Cyclists resting on College Green, Bristol Connect2 and Greenway Design Guide