Sharing our streets (From Messenger Newspapers)

Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society hosts talk on shared streets scheme

8:30am Sunday 24th June 2012 in News

AFTER design engineer Martin Stockley ended a talk entitled ‘Towards a New Civility’ about the successful use of shared space on streets, people completed questionnaires about it happening in Altrincham.

They asked questions at the event at Altrincham Town Hall organised by Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society after hearing about successful projects in Maidstone, Poynton and the award winning New Road, Brighton scheme where streets and footpaths are merged.

Mr Stockley said: “In New Road, Brighton, you can drive in any direction and there are few obvious regulations. Footfall has increased by 600 per cent and there is greatly reduced vehicle usage.”

He showed images of streets once clogged with signs, road markings and parked cars where pedestrians were ignored, and the transformations his practice had made.

He said: “Streets are places where you can play, meet people and celebrate.”

There were too many notices telling people what they should and should not do. “We should allow more and control less,” he said.

Public space was for the community. Control should be minimal and ‘normal’ behaviour allowed.

He said the people of Altrincham must consider how to attract visitors. “We must start by making a place we like and others will like it, too.”