Managing the Street scene

Even well-designed streets can quickly deteriorate if they are not well-managed and maintained. Excessive and poorly co-ordinated street furniture quickly become litter traps, are difficult to clean around and add visual clutter to the street environment. Asset management introduces a more structured approach, requiring an understanding of the condition and value of street assets.

In managing the street scene, there are a number of actions that local authorities or social landlords can take including:

Undertake community street audits or heritage audits to identify items of historic, social or cultural value and remove unnecessary items, such as temporary signs and signs no longer required by regulation
Develop streetscape manuals to provide a strategic vision for an area. These manuals can specify street furniture, materials and design layouts, and can also be used to ensure consistent levels of provision for disabled users
Implement measures to reduce vehicle speeds and improve traffic flow, and so reduce the need for street furniture such as guardrails, signs, and road markings
Use high-quality items that enhance rather than detract from the street environment
Where possible, consider moving signs to buildings, street furniture or to the back of the footpath to provide a clear path for people to walk. The Traffic Signs Manual states that ‘it is desirable to limit the number of posts in footways.' Where possible signs should be attached to adjacent walls, so that they are not more than two metres from the edge of the carriageway, or should be grouped on posts
Develop an advertising strategy to control the amount and location of advertising. Where it is allowed, it should not obstruct the footway, but should be incorporated into existing street furniture. Advertising companies may offer local authorities new street furniture in exchange for pavement advertising panels. These panels are unlikely to be tailored to local requirements and can add to street clutter