In England and Wales, the ''Manual for Streets'', published in March 2007, provides guidance for practitioners involved in the planning, design, provision and approval of new
street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
s, and modifications to existing ones. It aims to increase the quality of life through good design which creates more people-oriented streets. Although the detailed guidance in the document applies mainly to residential streets, the overall design principles apply to all streets within urban areas.
A ''street'' is defined as "a
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...
with important public realm functions beyond the movement of motor traffic" – i.e. by its function rather than some arbitrary
traffic flow
In mathematics and transportation engineering, traffic flow is the study of interactions between travellers (including pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and their vehicles) and infrastructure (including highways, signage, and traffic control devi ...
limit.
Overview
The UK
Department for Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
(DfT) and the
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local government ...
(DCLG), with support from the
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was an executive non-departmental public body of the UK government, established in 1999. It was funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for C ...
(CABE), commissioned
WSP Group
WSP Global Inc. is a Canadian company with American and British roots, providing management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. After the purchase of New York-headquartered ...
,
Transport Research Laboratory
TRL Limited, trading as TRL (formerly Transport Research Laboratory) is an independent private company offering a transport consultancy and research service to the public and private sector. Originally established in 1933 by the UK Government a ...
(TRL),
Llewelyn Davies Yeang
Llywelyn, Llewelyn or Llewellyn is a name of Welsh language origins. See Llywelyn (name) for the name's etymology, history and other details.
As a surname Arts
*Carmen Llywelyn, American actress and photographer
* Chris Llewellyn (poet), American ...
and
Phil Jones Associates
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root ter ...
to develop ''Manual for Streets'' to give guidance to a range of practitioners on effective street design.
''Manual for Streets'' was published on 29 March 2007. It superseded ''
'' (DB32) and the companion guide ''
Places, Streets and Movement'', which have now been withdrawn. A copy of the manual as well a summary and supporting research can be downloaded from the Department for Transport.
''Manual for Streets'' has updated geometric guidelines for low trafficked residential streets, examines the effect of the environment on road user behaviour, and draws on practice in other countries. Research undertaken by TRL provides the evidence base upon which the revised geometric guidelines in the ''Manual for Streets'' are based, including link widths, forward visibility, visibility splays and junction spacing.
''Manual for Streets'' applies in England and Wales and is national guidance, not a policy document.
The Scottish Government commissioned WSP Group, Phil Jones Associates and
Edaw
EDAW was an international landscape architecture, urban and environmental design firm that operated from 1939 until 2009. Starting in San Francisco, the firm grew to become the most commercially successful and well-known landscape architecture and ...
to produce ''Designing Streets'', a version of ''Manual for Streets'' for application in Scotland and was published in 2010. Unlike ''Manual for Streets'', it is published as a "policy statement".
MfS 2
Manual for Streets 2: Wider Application of the Principles was launched on 29 September 2010 in London. It is designed to be read alongside the original ''Manual'' rather than to supersede it. It is available to buy for £40 in paper form from its publisher, the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT), as well as the usual retail outlets. CIHT staff reported at the launch that it will not be available to download for up to a year.
Criticisms
''Manual for Streets'' has been criticised for its approach to
permeability of street networks. Critics argue that, by encouraging permeability of street networks for motor vehicles, ''MfS'' undermines its declared intention to reduce the domination of streets by motor traffic.
Sustrans
Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United Kin ...
, the sustainable transport charity, while giving a cautious welcome to the ''Manual'', argues that the guidance should limit permeability for motor vehicles and provide full permeability for walking and cycling. Melia (2008) went further, arguing:
:"By multiplying opportunities for ‘rat-running'
he approach in ''Manual for Streets'' willincrease the capacity of a road network to carry traffic – and, course (''sic'') to emit CO2. In other words, it is a cheaper variation on the 'build our way out of congestion' theme."
[Melia, Steve]
"Neighbourhoods Should be Made Permeable for Walking and Cycling But Not for Cars"
''Local Transport Today'' 23 January 2008.
See also
* The
Design Manual for Roads and Bridges
The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) is a series of 15 volumes that provide standards, advice notes and other documents relating to the design, assessment and operation of trunk roads, including motorways in the United Kingdom, and ...
References
External links
Manual for Streetswebsite.
Manual for Streets: a summary(PDF, 916 kb). Published 11 December 2007.
Manual for Streets(PDF, 5 Mb). Published 29 March 2007.
The Manual for Streets: evidence and research(PDF, 10 Mb). Published 19 June 2007.
Order printed copies of Manual for Streets(PDF, 12 kb). Published 31 May 2007.
Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation{{Cycling Infrastructure
Transport policy in the United Kingdom
Impact assessment
Urban planning