Home Zones - the word on the street

Over 300 representatives of communities across London registered for the Living Streets' Open Days. Attendees represented the diversity of London, coming from villages, suburbs, council estates and urban centres. For many, the Open Days were merely the start of transforming our streets and public spaces into social places.

Living Streets would like to thank the residents of Five Roads (Ealing) and Holmewood Gardens (Lambeth) for energising everyone with their message. The informative tours demonstrated the ambition and compromise necessary to create Home Zones. A thank you also to Lambeth and Ealing councils for their support and to the de Freitas Charitable Trust and the Bridge House Estates Trust Fund whose support allowed the events to be staged.

There follows a summary of the Open Days and information you might find useful in persuading your neighbours to help create a Home Zone, or your council to bid for the money to make it happen. The information is a collection of personal views and not the view of any particular local authority or organisation.

Finally, Living Streets needs your support in spreading the message of Home Zones and our work to create streets and public spaces that people on foot can use and enjoy. Click here to see our supporter application form and become part of the Living Streets movement.

Creating a Community

In Ealing, a group of residents decided they would like a Home Zone as a way of counteracting a variety of problems in the area, including rat-running, lack of parking space, personal safety and an unattractive street environment. As the project progressed, for many people the main objective became building a community. People still care passionately about providing parking space, but we have begun to relearn the values of neighbourliness and a little about sustainability too!

This all began in our living rooms, where we held meetings for residents to discuss their concerns and the idea of a Home Zone. Together, we produced a plan using the skills of residents including a retired architect, a journalist, and a PR consultant. The plan was presented to the council and discussed with councillors. This culminated in a successful application to become a Government national pilot.

Our first successful use of streets (other than for cars) was the tea party, which was used as a launch event for the Transport Minister to announce the pilots. This was a wonderful sunny August day: the kids played on their bikes, residents came out of their houses, met each other, sat on the sofas and drank tea. Quote of the day from an elderly lady was, "Where did you get all of the children?" Of course the kids lived within the five Home Zone streets. It brought a chilling reminder of how isolating urban living is, especially for the elderly, and what a long way there was to go.

Since then, the project has run through highs and lows. For residents, understanding local politics and council working has been challenging and frustrating. There have been so many hurdles and surprises. However, we have learnt a lot and made many new friends. Slowly, we are beginning to use the streets more productively and create a community.

Chairman Boyd
Five Roads Forum Ealing

Key Issues to Emerge from the Workshops:

Workshop A: Environmental Improvements

1. Character and Sense of Place

Defining the particular character of a place is fundamental to understanding how to improve it, and in avoiding "catalogue" solutions. This will require a combination of respecting the area's history and a willingness to be innovative in addressing contemporary needs.

2. Simplicity of Design

Reduce street clutter e.g. bollards and signs. Aim for simplicity, possibly by painting motorists' signs onto the road surface.

3. Meeting Places

Reduce anti-social or criminal behaviour by encouraging facilities and places for meeting e.g. designing streets with wide pavements.

4. Defining Space

Use the correct choice of materials and design of curbs to make drivers aware they are using shared space. Soft landscaping can be effective in defining space.

5. Ownership & Group Power

Get local people involved and interested in looking after what they have e.g. maintaining the soft landscaping and trees.

6. Information and Communication

Council officers and consultants have information about what grant funding is available, what changes are possible and how changes can be brought about. Bring this information and expertise together with the requirements and vision of the local community.

Workshop B: Consultation and working with the council

1. Community Involvement

The project is more likely to succeed if the community is involved from the start. The entire process involves a steep learning curve and it's essential that the project's supporters understand how the system works. At Enfield (Ponders End), the council is working with less affluent, diverse communities to help them build a voice:

• Providing training on surveys;
• Running action planning days; and
• Building a sense of partnership.

Use different arguments to persuade different sections of the community - some will want space for children but others will want peace and quiet so don't overplay the "child-friendly" argument.

2. Local Authority Involvement

Traditional civil engineers may not understand at first that Home Zones are a community issue. Establish a Project Board with the local authority. Remember that in the end it's the council who applies for the money.

3. Disability Issues

It's essential to consult local disability organisations early on disability issues. Things to remember include:

• Considering the location of benches;
• Leaving space for wheelchairs and double buggies;
• Installing colour contrast to highlight pavement edges, posts etc.;
• Reducing sign clutter; and
• Laying smoother pavements where possible.

4. Overall Message

• Get to know the system and keep testing it;
• Build support in a variety of ways;
• Be persistent; and
• Have fun!

Workshop C: Parking

1. Parking Problems

Many conference attendees live in areas with parking problems, including:

• There being more cars than there are parking spaces;
• Commuters parking in residential areas;


• Visitors being unable to park;
• Vehicles being abandoned; and
• Vehicles being parked dangerously.

The usual approach to addressing parking problems is to introduce controlled parking zones, which attendees who live in controlled areas agree are beneficial.

2. Parking Zones

Home Zones are unlikely to be successful without the parallel presence of a controlled parking zone. The enforcement of parking regulations by local authority wardens is therefore essential to success. Frustratingly, Parking and Home Zone officers in local authorities often fail to work together. There are no fixed rules. Whether or not to include controlled parking in a Home Zone and the best type of control for residents and visitors will depend upon local circumstances and wishes. The impacts of controlled parking on neighbouring areas have to be considered to avoid displacing any parking problems.

3. Improved Design

While supporting the principle of providing additional street space for pedestrians, many residents share concerns about reducing parking spaces. A Home Zone can reduce demand for parking by better control of vehicle access to an area. In addition, innovative design, such as echelon (angled) or centre-of-the-road parking can reduce the impact rather than the amount of parking while still achieving benefits for pedestrians.

The website of the Urban Design Alliance www.udal.org.uk is a useful source of Home Zone design information.

Workshop D: Street Parties

1. Benefits of Street Parties

Street Parties help communities to develop, allowing people to get to know neighbours, creating a feeling of community spirit and providing good fun. Furthermore, they often give residents a vision of what streets could be like without traffic in them.

2. Purpose of Event and Target Audience

Decide in advance what are the party's objectives e.g. to have a good time, to meet the neighbours, to raise funds (and if so, for what?). Decide who you hope to attract e.g. just the street's residents or people from a larger area.

3. The Organising Committee

An organising committee will help ensure jobs aren't forgotten, the workload is shared and spirits are kept up. The committee should decide on the date, time and nature of the event and divide up the tasks e.g. food, drink, music, games, stalls, contact with authorities, insurance cover and publicity.

4. Informing Relevant Partners

The local authority needs to be informed and their permission granted. A temporary road closure certificate may be needed (there may be a charge). The local police and fire brigade must be informed, as should local shops or businesses, which might be affected. At an early date circulate a leaflet with the key information, including details of any parking restrictions. Reminder leaflets nearer the event will be useful.

5. Funding the Event

Residents can be asked to provide food or bring gifts for stalls etc., but there are other costs. One council charged 250 just for street closure permission, whereas other people have managed to persuade the council to waive the cost. Small grants are available from the Golden Jubilee Fund and sometimes from the local council itself.

6. What to Provide

Food, drink and entertainment are more or less essential. Children's games and competitions are usually popular. Rain cover should also be considered!

Workshop E: Play in the Street

1. Why Play Matters to Children

Play is self-motivated, spontaneous pleasurable behaviour, and is the process by which children develop. Children from pre-school to teenage years play, expanding their social, physical, emotional and intellectual capacity whilst doing so.

2. Opportunities for Play

Research indicates that the majority of children like to play outdoors and near to their homes, however many of London's children live in homes where their play opportunities are restricted. Play workers and professionals working in Play Development support and encourage the benefits of outdoor play as a healthier alternative to the 'couch potato' generation seen to be emerging.

3. Traffic Concerns

The volume and speed of traffic are parents' main concerns when a child becomes old enough to 'play out'. Children are naturally impulsive, lack the judgement of adults on speed and distance of traffic and in most cases their need to play often outweighs any consideration of the hazards.

4. Home Zones

Home Zones can make a real difference in making streets safer places for children to play, and have a significant role in reclaiming space for children's play in areas where space for 'non-economic' activity is under continuous threat.

5. Other Sources of Information

For more information on the benefits of Home Zones for children and communities contact:

Children's Play Council
Tel: 020 7843 6016
London Play
Tel: 020 7272 2464
Email: enquiries@londonplay.org.uk

Workshop F: Traffic

1. Home Zones as Traffic Calming

In many areas residents are ahead of Councils in their support for Home Zones, and it is they who are seeking to win over less forward-thinking councillors and traffic engineers to this new approach to road safety.

The secret to achieving more widespread acceptance for Home Zones amongst Councillors and traffic engineers may be to develop them incrementally as an extension of existing traffic calming programmes. In effect this is what the Ealing Home Zone will be - an augmented traffic calmed area, and this is the approach being taken by Hammersmith and Fulham. Shared surfacing and road space reallocation can be added at a later date once residents get used to the idea and can see the benefits.

2. Investment in Home Zones

Home Zones are more expensive than traditional traffic calming, if done properly, which is why the additional Government funding will be welcome. The recently published report from the Commission for Integrated Transport on European Best Practice, which shows the UK lagging behind its European partners in transport investment, should strengthen the case for Home Zones. The report identified the UK as one of the most car-dependent countries in the EU, and as having the second lowest level of walking and the sixth lowest level of cycling. There is certainly room for improvement!

Sources of Home Zone Funding

The most easily accessed source of funding is the Local Implementation Plan (LIP). Through the LIP, funds can be accessed to deliver capital infrastructure projects, such as Home Zones, from Transport for London who administer the transport funding on behalf the Mayor and the Greater London Assembly.

LIP funding is focused towards sustainable transport, in particular walking, cycling and public transport, and towards initiatives that directly effect our local communities e.g. Home Zones.

The Government has recently made 30 million available nationwide to fund 100 new Home Zones. These bidding rounds are now closed, but more funding may become available in the future.

Other Sources of Funding

Link the Home Zone bid to a "Safe Routes to Schools" scheme, a "Healthy Living" scheme, or more generally to a health promotion scheme, such as "Cardiac Rehabilitation".

Projects such as the "London Cycle Network" and initiatives such as "Green Areas" are also promoting sustainable transport, and reduced pollution zones. These could be linked to establishing a Home Zone.

Partnership working is important and will be vital in the successful delivery of your Home Zone.

Ian Christian
London Borough of Hounslow


Funding Sources Suggested by the Workshops

• The street lighting budget;
• The highways maintenance budget;
• The controlled parking zone programme; and
• Local voluntary services committees.

Street Art and Home Zones

Community participation is a key element of the Home Zone ethos. Street Art, especially Community Art, which incorporates community participation, can make a considerable contribution to the community's feeling of ownership of the Home Zone project.

Participatory art and design techniques enable people who would normally have no positive or direct influence on the design of their surroundings, to participate and benefit from both the process and the end result. Local residents can be involved in the design, creation, production and supervision of any artwork. The community can develop build on the heritage of their neighbourhood and define new objectives and aspirations for their locality.

Art has the power to draw upon and express culture and identity. It can break down language barriers, which often exclude people, particularly young people and people from minority ethnic backgrounds. This makes Community Art a particularly suitable process for developing unique Home Zone environments and addressing the notion of citizenship.

The result will be a testament to the efforts of local people - the creation of imaginative designs and artworks to improve the urban environment and ensure long-term sustainability. Organisations such as Free Form have successfully worked with communities throughout the process of design, development and installation, on projects such as Lyon Square in Reading.

Matthew Maple
Free Form
Tel: 020 7249 3394
E-mail: matt@freeform.org.uk
Website: www.freeform.org.uk

Why a Home Zone is a fundamental right

Just over two years ago, my 14-year son, William, was killed a few hundred yards from his home in Vine Lane. He stepped out of a pedestrian alleyway into Vine Lane, and was knocked down by a motorist. At the point where the alleyway joined Vine Lane there was, and still is, no pavement, so William was immediately at risk at the moment he emerged from the alley. His death sparked a storm amongst local residents.

Pedestrians in Vine Lane are forced to walk in many places without a pavement. What makes matters worse is the fact that our road is now used by a high volume of cut-through traffic, making it a highly dangerous rat-run. It is a small unclassified lane, but is now subjected to A-road volumes of traffic and often motorway speeds, some reaching 60-80mph as cars accelerate down the lane anxious to avoid the local A-road traffic queues and lights.

Residents in Vine Lane have been petitioning Hillingdon Council for over 30 years for safety measures here. Nothing has ever been done to improve the road conditions and the volume of traffic increases daily. It is a major route for many pupils attending nearby schools. A survey at William's school revealed that 125 children use the road daily to walk to school. We are terrified another child will be killed here. Since William's death and more recently the death of a speeding motorcyclist, angry residents have formed The Vine Lane Road Safety Campaign, to step-up the pressure on the Council to provide safety measures, and prevent further loss of life. Until recently, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. We were repeatedly told that we are not a priority, despite the two deaths and almost daily incidents and accidents witnessed in the road. The irony is the criteria used by the Council to prioritise their allocation of resources, seems to demand that more lives are lost to make their expenditure a viable proposition and a good return on their investment? we need the work done now, to prevent further deaths!

With mounting support for our campaign, petitions signed by virtually all residents, local press support, and the support of our MP John Randall, the Council has now begun to take notice, and has recently agreed to make Vine Lane their priority Home Zone bid for the London Borough of Hillingdon. We insisted on being consulted in the preparation of the bid and having carefully studied the Home Zone information issued by the Government, we realised that our road fits the criteria exactly.

With the deadline approaching fast, and uninspired by the Council's short, fairly non-specific draft, our Road Safety Committee got together to write its own very comprehensive bid, including maps showing local schools, photographs, and detail of local historical and environmental interest. We were delighted that the Council were very receptive to our preparation of the bid, and after adding their costs, used our contribution in its entirety. We hope it will be successful.

We long for the day when the road can be returned to its residents, and can be enjoyed as the beautiful lane it once was, and still deserves to be. The quality of life for all residents here would be improved a thousandfold if our bid is successful.

We feel the Home Zone concept is an excellent one, and hope that in the future it becomes not just something to hope for, or to compete for, but a fundamental right to live in a safe, healthy and happy environment. The future of our society lies in the balance.

Anne Healy
Chairman
Vine Lane Road Safety Campaign