Draft Manual for Streets is Promising

An early report about the planned new Manual for Streets (MfS) is encouraging. The Sunday Times’ Transport Editor Nicholas Hellen says that it will put the transport hierarchy into action.

Pedestrians and cyclists are at the top of the hierarchy, then public transport, and finally private motor vehicles.

The Manual for Streets is part of planning guidance, and tells developers and local authorities what residential streets should look like. It also applies to other local streets such as high streets. Trunk roads are governed separately, by the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

A Design Speed of 20mph

The draft MfS seen by the Sunday Times says there should be a maximum design speed of 20mph on residential streets, with significantly lower speeds usually desirable.

This is part of the an effort to design streets that put place above movement.

New rules would make it easier for local authorities in England to set 20mph as the default limit in urban areas. Wales and Scotland are going further and making 20mph the default nationally.

David Milner of Create Streets said:

‘For the past 70 years, people have been guests in their own streets, subservient to fast traffic. This design manual seems to be putting people, not vehicles, at its heart.’

david milner

A Note of Caution

The current MfS, published in 2007, says very similar things about movement and place.

‘For too long the focus has been on the movement function of residential streets. The result has often been places that are dominated by motor vehicles to the extent that they fail to make a positive contribution to the quality of life. MfS demonstrates the benefits that flow from good design and assigns a higher priority to pedestrians and cyclists, setting out an approach to residential streets that recognises their role in creating places that work for all members of the community. MfS refocuses on the place function of residential streets, giving clear guidance on how to achieve well-designed streets and spaces that serve the community in a range of ways.’

manual for streets

Bad developers and local authorities have simply ignored it. Will they also ignore the new MfS?

Further, in places including Harrogate housing development is taking place on the edge of town, and local authorities are failing to join the developments to the town centre with cycle links.

Even if a new MfS results in good provision within the development itself, if it just stops at the edge of the site it is of little use.