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in residential areas. In many cases, they may help to improve safety on the journey to or from play areas. 26. 27. Research published in 1996 shows that the number of accidents involving children reduced by 67 per cent in 20mph zones incorporating traffic calming measures. On the basis of this information DfT issued best practice advice on the implementation of 20mph zones. However, many more local authorities have since introduced 20mph zones, and over wider areas, and so an up-to-date assessment is needed of the implementation process and effectiveness. We are commissioning a new assessment and will produce further best practice advice to support those local authorities already implementing 20mph zones, and promote the benefits to those which have yet to do so. Transport for London is also proposing to trial later this year the enforcement of 20mph zones through the use of time over distance camera systems as an alternative to traffic calming measures. Home Zones 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. Home Zones are residential areas where the streets are designed to be places for pedestrians and cyclists (including children), instead of simply corridors for motor traffic. The aim is to change the way that streets are used in order to improve the quality of life in residential streets. Introducing a Home Zone will allow scope for a range of social activities, such as stopping to chat and children’s play, to take place in street space formerly considered to be exclusively for vehicles. Modifications to the layout of the street should emphasise this change of use, so that motorists understand the need to share the street with other road users. This is achieved by creating an environment which encourages very low vehicular speeds. This natural traffic calming effect is realised through, for example, the placing of parking bays, street furniture, planting, and children’s play equipment etc to create indirect routes through the area, and shortened driver sightlines. Good and effective consultation with all sectors of the community, including young people, is important, and can help ensure that the design of individual Home Zones meets the needs of the local residents. Whilst primarily aimed at improving quality of life, Home Zones can in theory generate road safety benefits. However, as Home Zones were only introduced where the safety record was already good, the reduction in traffic flow and speeds resulting from their implementation would only be likely to realise minimal safety benefits at best. Where successfully implemented, Home Zones have led to stronger, more vibrant and diverse communities, fewer empty properties and reduced crime. In April 2001, the Prime Minister announced a £30m challenge fund to encourage the development of new Home Zone schemes in England. Many of the authorities identified additional funding from a range of sources resulting in a total budget of over £50m for the Fair Play: A consultation on the play strategy 67
61 schemes identified for implementation (two of which did not go ahead as a result of the outcome of the public consultation stage). The Home Zones Challenge came to an end on 31 March 2005. As well as creating a substantial increase in the number of Home Zones in England, it demonstrated the benefits that could be delivered and highlighted the issues which need to be considered when developing Home Zones. 33. 34. The Government would always support plans to introduce Home Zones and DfT has published a document disseminating good practice in Home Zone design and scheme development, drawing particularly on the experience gathered from the Home Zones Challenge. It complements the Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers’ Home Zone Design Guidelines published in 2002. However, retro-fitting of Home Zone principles to existing residential areas is relatively expensive. There may be more scope for including Home Zones in the design of new residential areas as they are built. Manual for Streets 35. The Manual for Streets, which was published by the Department for Transport in March 2007, provides guidance for practitioners involved in the planning, design, provision and approval of new residential streets, and modifications to existing ones. It aims to increase the quality of life through good design which creates more people-orientated streets. It represents a new approach to the design of residential streets, recommending a move away from seeing them purely as a means of providing movement, to one where the emphasis is on the street’s community and place function. The place function could be thought of as a measure of how well the street performs as an area of interest and stimulation in its own right. It is the quality which can make the difference between somewhere to pass through and somewhere to spend some time in. 36. This emphasis on place, combined with an increase in priority assigned to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, contributes to reducing the domination of motor vehicles. The aim is to improve road safety and make the street more accessible to all user groups. This should make journeys to play areas safer, but it could also help make the street itself conducive to children’s play. The manual advocates controlling traffic speeds in much the same way as a Home Zone would i.e. using careful street design to encourage drivers to feel comfortable passing through at low speeds, preferably without having to resort to more obvious traffic calming features such as speed humps. Quiet Lanes 37. Quiet Lanes is a Countryside Agency initiative that aims to maintain the tranquillity and character of minor rural roads. They should be networks of rural roads which already have low traffic flows and low vehicle speeds and, where possible, should tie in to non-motorised user networks. There are three key elements to a Quiet Lanes project: intensive community involvement to change users’ attitudes and behaviour, re-routing of through traffic away from 68 Fair Play: A consultation on the play strategy
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Fair Play A consultation on the pla
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Foreword Foreword by the Secretarie
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Executive summary 1. 2. Strong, vib
Page 8 and 9:
Children’s Play initiative to sup
Page 10 and 11:
21. We propose to empower communiti
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space design, and that tackling thi
Page 14 and 15:
Chapter 1: What children and famili
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The barriers to play Accessibility
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Negative perceptions “There are t
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published an updated version of the
Page 22 and 23: and sign-post good local play oppor
Page 24 and 25: of play facilities can be found in
Page 26 and 27: Case study - Dudley Children’s Tr
Page 28 and 29: learning, where imprisoned parents
Page 30 and 31: 2.44 Making play areas accessible i
Page 32 and 33: d. provide clear guidance on develo
Page 34 and 35: Interesting and fun places to play
Page 36 and 37: of the site. We will use our nation
Page 38 and 39: Chapter 4: Playing safely Introduct
Page 40 and 41: •l provide additional investment
Page 42 and 43: 4.18 Since 1999, local authorities
Page 44 and 45: and to identify the difficulties of
Page 46 and 47: consultation, as well as through wo
Page 48 and 49: 5.5 We propose to empower communiti
Page 50 and 51: (CABE) and CLG to develop a dialogu
Page 52 and 53: Case Study - The Methleys Home Zone
Page 54 and 55: as it offers a strong, attractive a
Page 56 and 57: Chapter 6: Sustaining and embedding
Page 58 and 59: 6.9 6.10 As play sits outside of ch
Page 60 and 61: •l include play in priorities dis
Page 62 and 63: Play pathfinders 6.22 We will work
Page 64 and 65: What further improvements to road s
Page 66 and 67: Playworker: Playworkers plan, organ
Page 68 and 69: Annex 2: What government has alread
Page 70 and 71: evaluated and shown to deliver a la
Page 74 and 75: the lanes, and entry signing to inf
Page 76 and 77: 50. The arts sector also provides a
Page 78 and 79: •l integrating use of the natural
Page 80 and 81: xiii xiv xv xvi xvii xviii xix xx x
Page 82: You can download this publication o
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