Case Study - SUSTRANS - Bristol City Council

From high speed to Home Zone

Sustrans worked with Dings residents and Bristol City Council to turn a ‘highway’ space into a social space. By using good urban design the Dings area was turned into a successful Home Zone.

The Dings, a small residential area in Bristol, which is surrounded by brownfield land and light industry, was once blighted by rat-running and severe commuter parking problems; a cause for concern for local people.

But now, with overall feelings of better safety for children, less fear of vandalism and anti-social behaviour, a recent survey shows that by re-designing the streets to be more pedestrian and cycle friendly, the residents see their neighbourhood in a new light.

Parking layout

Street events were held to test parking layouts and discuss other design features. It was hoped that a Positive Parking scheme could be introduced which would have limited parking to marked bays only.

However, after consultation with residents a compromise was reached. What is in place is still an innovative approach – there are no yellow lines and there are some discreet signs to show where people can park.

It was possible to lower speeds through different parking arrangements, and by breaking up clear sight lines such as planters and trees in the street.

Cutting edge design

Innovative design was used to create a safe five way junction where motorists are made to feel uncertain about the environment they have entered and so instinctively reduce their speed and are forced to be aware of other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in that space.

The five-way junction incorporates gateway artwork in the form of large metal letters spelling out Dings. The art is used to substitute traditional bollards and benches – once again reminding drivers this is a different space.

EU funded project

Sustrans worked in partnership with Bristol City Council to deliver the Dings home zone in Bristol as part of the EU funded VIVALDI project.

The VIVALDI project aimed to demonstrate exemplary community involvement in a transport project and two part time Community Travel Workers (CTWs) were employed by Sustrans to lead this process. Residents of The Dings had already been very active for a number of years in trying to improve their community.

Allocating ‘Street representatives’

An active Neighbourhood Watch committee made up of about 15 residents was Sustrans’ first point of contact. Many of the members became ‘street representatives’ to assist communication throughout the project.

Meetings and special events were held on a regular basis in the local family
club and in the streets of The Dings, and regular newsletters were distributed to all households.

As many residents do not attend meetings or events, contacting residents at home was a key activity to ensure high participation rates. The CTWs carried out four comprehensive door to door surveys – revisiting households on as many as four occasions to try to make contact, providing an important opportunity to have detailed and open discussions with residents.

Greener streets

The traditional pavements and road layout of the Dings left no space for street planting. The new home zone street designs have incorporated new street trees and low level planters which bring greenery to the street and encourage wildlife.

The amount of space for planting in the street is still limited and so additional planting has been completed in gardens that adjoin the streets. A corner patch of derelict ground within the home zone has also been adopted by residents and turned into a green space cared for by the community.

A popular move

It seems that the Dings home zone has turned out even better than local people expected. An initial survey showed that, overall, 84 per cent of residents thought that the new design would be a positive move for the Dings.

But after the project had been completed, a massive 93 per cent of residents thought that the home zone had been a good idea for their neighbourhood.

The two surveys compared responses on a range of issues: parking, traffic, safety, anti-social behaviour and vandalism, play and the appearance of the streets. They found that before the home zone, only six per cent of residents surveyed thought that their street was attractive.

After the home zone was completed this figure was completely turned on its head with 68 per cent of residents surveyed saying that their street was attractive – more than a tenfold increase.

Resulted in less concern

Nuisance commuter parking was the most significant concern raised by the Dings residents in the initial survey. After the home zone was completed the number of residents concerned about parking dropped from 93 per cent to 55 per cent.

Residents' concerns about fast traffic dropped by 45 per cent, with half of people surveyed thinking that drivers were more considerate to children playing in the new home zone streets.

There was a 39 per cent reduction in the residents' concerns about anti-social behaviour and vandalism. While only one fifth of residents felt the streets were safe before, more than half do now the home zone is complete.

Safer for children

The picture was the same when it came to residents' concerns for the safety of their children. There was a 42 per cent reduction in residents concerned that the streets were not safe for children to play.

When asked if they thought children should play more in the streets now that the area was a home zone, 35 per cent of residents thought they should.

For more information, please contact info@sustrans.org.uk