Outline
A home zone is an area where people reside and calmness is maintained with many activities on the road other than driving. The street is used by both traffic and people who go there to gather and children have a place to play. The home zone is expensive to establish and enough funding is necessary from the local authority and well-wishers because an individual can not be able to raise the funds alone. People work together in the community to establish home zones and approve their existence so that everybody is comfortable with the setting. The area where the home zone is set should be good with low speeding vehicles and criteria used to set it should not have a negative impact on the outside zone
Traffic: What Is the Criteria for Better Home Zone Streets?
Introduction
The home zone is marked by the area where people reside and traffic is calm where the roads available have very many activities carried out other than driving. The people who use the road respect it and share it and street streets are for both the traffic and people. The speed of the vehicle is reduced; the street is safely used by people to play, gather, and for traveling through. The street is supposed to have planting schemes, measures for calming traffic and equipment for playing. (Gehl, 2001 pp18-21)
The Criteria for Better Home Zone Streets
There is a process followed when creating a home zone after the local authority establishes an area to be used as a home zone through the power of transport act section 268. In order to create a home zone, many residents in an area form a group and request the local authority to establish a home zone in the area to get a solution to problems of local traffic. Home zones can be paid for by the local authority because they are not cheap to be purchased by an individual since they require money to pay for street furniture, new planting and road surfaces. For example, new Brancepeth had a home zone in Durham that was financed by local transport, Durham villages and the city through the agreements of section 106 of the planning act. (Fobker, pp103-105)
The targets need to be understood where campaign aims at people with power so that change can be attained. Power to establish a home zone lies with the local authority and it is important to know the local councilors and their offices so that a group of people can be chosen to approach them and convince them that a home zone should be set in the area. When choosing the leaders, it is necessary to choose the ones who will make improvements in the community by knowing the community demand and how to support them by giving them new ideas. Guidance from the government helps in setting a good home zone following the guide for good practice.
Strategies and plans that are in practice today are supposed to be followed through becoming familiar with them in order to have the idea of what the authority plans to get and campaigning in a manner that your request fits into the plans. (Lucas, 2004 pp13-17)
The advantages of home zone should be well spoken out and possible sources of funds from the local authority where councilors through the committees and officers from the council formulate policies and implement them. Later, a report is written to the relevant committees to guide the council in decision making. The selected officers are assigned responsibilities in specific areas to get policies and list them so that they can be acted upon by the local authority. Financial support for local authorities comes from county council who spends the money in a way to achieve the greatest benefit. For example, a project for home zone was cancelled for road at Stapleton in Headington because, it was found that, it would not have sufficient improvement of transport in the area and therefore the expense was not justified. (Fobker, pp101-102)
Setting of a new home zone needs support because; improvement in the community can only happen if people work together in groups so that good ideas and skills for bringing the real change can be shared. Groups need to be formed where clear plan is established using allies and good friend who support what the group is doing. Involving other people help in building the local support where campaign is made more credible to local media and local authority resulting to better scheme due to involvement of large group of people.
Existing group can be used or a new one created such as residents association but the already existing groups need to be known by the council in order to get financial assistance easily. Once a group is established, it is important to create awareness that you want to set up home zone so that the views can be heard. Involve the people who are nearby and consult about major features to be found in a home zone and other details. Initially, a public meeting should be held where information leaflet is provided so that support can be given immediately for the work to begin. (Franck, 2007 pp23-24)
There are people who are important to work with such as nearby groups in order to create alliances with resident associations and gather support. Neighbors help in the campaign by signing petitions and pledging to offer support once the project is commenced. Local businesses help in areas where home zone is near the main road by putting posters for the campaign in their shop windows. Local schools involve parents in the campaigns and members of parliament are also helpful.
For example, in Headington, Member of Parliament was the vocal supporter in groups’ effort in the community when creating home zone at Stapleton road through putting pressure on the council. Public meeting should be held for people to be addressed because, if they hear that they will own the home zone, they will support it up to the end. (Madanipour, 2003 pp13-14)
The campaign needs to be planned in advance by doing things depending on priority in order to save time and be effective. Formal process does not have to be followed while planning and plan for campaign does not need huge documents. Beginning of campaigns involves talking about issues and possibilities of setting up a home zone. The ideas agreed upon should be written down and allow for any change that might be necessary in future. (Jacobs, 1984 pp23-27)
Determination of whether the area is good for a home zone is necessary in order to know whether the road is predominantly residential. Even if there may be shops and schools, many buildings should be residential. The traffic in the area should be at low speed below twenty meters per hour of measures being put in place to reduce the speed. The flow of the traffic should be one hundred vehicles during peak hour in the afternoon without through traffic. According to the government, a given criteria should fit the home zone so that a busy road is not turned into a home zone due to negative impact that an outside zone might get. (Franck, 2007 pp20-22)
The home zone should be set once the neighbors agree with the idea and feel that it is safe for children to walk alone on the road. The parked cars should not be too many and through-traffic should not use home zone as short cut. Disabled people should be accommodated in the home zone through the guidance of advisory committee of transport for disabled persons. The plans that are already there should be followed such as plan for local transport to seed the plans for home zones. For example, transport plan for Leicestershire section 8.4 says that, home zones would be introduced by the council to get solution to speedy and noisy vehicles. (Dovey, 1999 pp13-14)
The senior engineer in the local authority should be consulted through holding preliminary meeting to give him your ideas and get feedback on his thought about the plan to create home zone. Later, the worked out vision should be taken to the engineer with documentation about problems that are facing neighborhood. The vision includes, measures to cal traffic by putting chicanes and speed humps. The layout for packing should be changed, putting of road closures and controlling the parking zones. The home zone should also have seating and new pavement all of which should be planned and handled over to the engineer for approval.
If you fail to succeed because of failing to convince the local authority about the idea, the argument given should be made strong with evidence that the home zone will act as solution to problems faced by people. It is not wise to conclude that, the authority is unreasonable and hence go offensive. Instead, have a good understanding and work with the local authority without opposing them so that your idea can be reconsidered. Whyte H. (2001pp21-25) argues that, it is important to consider the sources of money because; the local authority may lack finance even if it is not against the idea of setting up a home zone.
The local authority may be setting up home zone at another place where you need to be thinking positively and supporting it. Give suggestions for calming the traffic in the area until you home zone is put in the plan for local transport. The transport measure the council is spending the money on should be known to see whether it is the one that was given the first priority so that you can use a joint approach together with other groups within the residence to give your argument to the council. Information about other home zone is important so that you know why the managed to be successful and their sources of funding. (Dovey, 1999 pp11-12)
Key issues to be considered
The character of the place where home zone will be established should be defined in order to improve it and avoid catalogue solutions. The history of the area should be respected and the willingness and ability to apply knowledge in addressing the contemporary needs. The design of home zone should be simplified by reducing the clutter on the street such as signs. The meeting places should reduce criminal and anti-social behavior through encouraging facilities and wide pavements on the street.
Defining of space should use materials that are chosen correctly and curbs for the design for the drivers to be made aware that the space they are using is being shared. Space can be defined effectively using soft landscaping. The local people should contribute in taking care of whatever they have for example, maintaining trees and soft landscaping in the area. (Biddulph, 2008 PP36)
Availability of information is necessary where officers of the council use the funds available to offer grants. This information together with expertise and vision should be brought to the local authority. The whole process should involve learning curve that is steep and people who support the project should have an understanding of how it works. For example, at Enfield, diverse communities help the council in providing training about surveys and building partnership. Different arguments are used in persuading people in the community because, some will need the space to be used by their children while others quite and peaceful environment where children do not overplay. (Biddulph, 2008 PP34-35)
Establishment of project board which is well known by the local authority is important because, the money to finance the project is applied for by the council. Organizations for people with disabilities should be consulted so that they advice on where benches should be located, leaving enough spaces where wheelchairs can be put, putting contrasting colors in order to highlight edges of the pavements, reducing clutter of the signs and putting smoother pavements.( Gemzoe, 2004 pp43-45)
Home zone should have no parking problem which is ensured by having enough space for cars so that visitors can park safely and their vehicles are not abandoned. In addressing parking problem, parking zones should be controlled by attendants who reside in the area. The design of home zone should be improved by providing additional space to be used by pedestrians. Vehicles should be controlled from accessing the area in order to reduce parking demand. (Tiesdell, 2003 pp06-08)
Innovative designs are necessary such as angled parking to decrease impact rather than amount of parking and still ensure pedestrians benefit. Relevant partners need to be informed so that permission to establish home zone can be granted and certificate for closing the road temporarily be availed. Fire brigade and police should get the information and also affected businesses and shops. Leaflet with key information should be circulated to show the details for restriction in parking. (Burton, 2006 pp34-37)
Conclusion
Residents in the area where home zones are established offers support ahead of the councils and they seek to benefit from safety of the road. In order for home zones to be accepted by traffic engineers, they should be developed to calm the existing traffic. Establishing a home zone is expensive than traditional means of calming traffic and government funding is welcomed so that, it can be done properly. (Burton, 2006 pp33)
References
Biddulph, M. (2008) Special Issue; An international review of livable street thinking and practice: Urban Design International pp. 34-36.
Burton E. and Mitchell L. (2006) Inclusive Urban Design; streets for life Oxford: Architectural Press pp. 33-37.
Dovey, N. (1999) Framing Places; Mediating Power in Built Form London: Routledge pp. 11-14.
Franck K. and Stevens Q. (2007) Loose Space: Possibility and Diversity in Urban Life London: Routledge pp. 20-24.
Fobker, S. and Grotz, R. (2006) Everyday mobility of elderly people in different urban settings, Germany: Urban Studies pp.101-105.
Gehl, J. (2001) Life between buildings; using public space: Arkitektens Forlag pp. 18-21.
Gehl, J and Gemzoe, L. (2004) Public Spaces, Public Life Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press pp. 43-45.
Jacobs J (1984): The Death and Life of Great American Cities: Penguin Books pp. 23-27.
Lucas K. (2004): Running on Empty; Transport, social exclusion and environmental justice Bristol: Policy Press pp. 13-17.
Madanipour, A. (2003) Public and Private Spaces of the City London: Routledge pp. 13-14.
Tiesdell,S. (2003) Public Places – Urban Spaces; The dimensions of urban design, Oxford: Architectural Press, Oxford pp. 06-08.
Whyte H. (2001) The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces New York: Project for Public Places pp. 21-25.