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Accessible
Street
Charter
2017
Key principles for
street design
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Produced by
The Equality and Diversity Team
Corporate Service Directorate
North Somerset Council.
Copies of this document can be obtained in an alternative
format or language by writing to:
Equality and Diversity Team
Town Hall
Walliscote Grove Road
Weston Super Mare
BS23 1UJ
Phone: 01934 634989
Email: [email protected]
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Contents
.................................................................................................. 1
Background ............................................................................... 4
Accessible Street Charter (ASC) ............................................... 5
ASC1 To use a cascade approach to the application of standards
and advice. ................................................................................ 5
ASC2 Provide footways that are suitable and safe for all
disabled people. ........................................................................ 5
ASC4 Pedestrian crossing design and location ......................... 6
ASC5 All street furniture must meet the needs of disabled
people........................................................................................ 6
ASC6 The accessibility of proposed schemes will be audited
before and after completion. ...................................................... 6
ASC7 Parking provision must always be available for disabled
people even when it’s not available to able people. .................. 7
ASC8 To undertake consultation, engagement or co-design
with disabled people on significant or major environmental
improvement schemes. ............................................................. 7
ASC9 All planting will be positioned and maintained so as to
avoid becoming an obstruction to pedestrians. ......................... 7
ASC10 Support for pedestrians following introduction of all new
environmental and highway improvement schemes. ................. 7
What does this mean? ............................................................... 7
Further information .................................................................... 8
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Background
The Charter draws together:
Advice from local disabled people,
National guidance and good practice,
Advice and views of North Somerset Council Planning and
Highways.
It has two key aims:
1. To summarise access advice on the public realm in one
place to promote improved standards of accessibility.
2. To avoid repetition of consultation on issues that can be
agreed and applied to all schemes.
None of the advice in this Charter is new. It can be found in
national good practice guides, results of previous consultation and
be seen in various locations and projects around North Somerset.
Useful background guidance is provided at the end of the Charter.
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Accessible Street Charter (ASC)
ASC1 To use a cascade approach to the application of standards and advice.
1. Consider first, national standards eg BS8300:2009 A1+2010,
DfT Tactile paving, DfT Manual for Streets
2. Apply agreed Council policy and advice, co-designed with
disabled people that may interpret national standards.
3. Use the site/project specific advice of local disabled people or
representative organisations
4. The Council and its partners must respond and act on the
access concerns raised by individual disabled people and value
their feedback.
This will be in the context of its duties under the Equality Act
2010 and the advice already received from disabled people, or
representative organisations, as a part of the consultation work
on the project.
ASC2 Provide footways that are suitable and safe for all disabled people.
1. Use suitable and appropriate footway materials.
2. Maintain footways to a suitable standard
a. Ensure surfaces are even and devoid of ruts, ridges and
potholes.
b. Replace tactile paving where raised section falls below
4.5mm high.
3. Layout of footways to meet needs of disabled people.
Details of other standards are available on TheAccessOfficer website. Search for the “essential” guidance.
More details on the Equality Act are available on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website
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a. The footway and the carriageway. (Kerbs should be treated as an integral part of the footway).
2. Footways will be designed with the aim of maximising and maintaining footway space for pedestrians. Key aims therefore will be:
a. Avoid locating temporary displays or activities on pedestrian desire lines.
b. Consistently group and locate all street furniture using guidance in the council’s Disability Design Standards (DDS) Sheet 4.
c. Make provision for needs of businesses to advertise,
deliver goods, etc.
ASC4 Pedestrian crossing design and location
1. Disabled people must be able to cross carriageways safely and independently.
2. Crossings points must be designed in accordance with national guidance.
ASC5 All street furniture must meet the needs of disabled people.
1. It must contrast with the surrounding environment. 2. All fixtures must extend to ground level and be at least 1m
high. 3. Where there are no alternative advertising solutions:
a. The council will use its regulatory powers or seek voluntary agreements to constrain freestanding advertising boards to being no more than 1.2m by 0.6m in size.
b. Always placed with any existing street furniture on retailer’s forecourt.
4. All street cafes will comply with the council’s Licensing Guidelines on Street Cafes.
5. To put highway columns to more than one use and design and installed at the outset with this aim in mind.
ASC6 The accessibility of proposed schemes will be audited before and after completion.
1. Use same threshold as for road safety audits.
2. Use national Quality Audit (QA) process.
3. Audit criteria to be agreed and periodically monitored by
disabled people.
Banners are one
alternative to A-boards
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ASC7 Parking provision must always be available for disabled people even when it’s not available to able people.
1. Services and facilities must be accompanied by parking
provision.
2. Standards for the layout of parking bays must be met.
(Details are given in DDS sheet 3).
ASC8 To undertake consultation, engagement or co-design with disabled people on significant or major environmental improvement schemes.
It is important to tailor methodology to the group or the
individuals and their impairments.
ASC9 All planting will be positioned and maintained so as to avoid becoming an obstruction to pedestrians.
1. All new works will incorporate new planting out of desire
lines and in accordance with the layout criteria in principle
4 above.
2. Maintenance and planting programmes on council land will
seek to identify and meet the needs of a wide range of
impairments.
ASC10 Support for pedestrians following introduction of all new environmental and highway improvement schemes.
To provide pedestrians with information and practical assistance,
where required, about changes to areas
Examples would include:
Road safety training for children; eg use of zebra crossings
where previously have been Pelican crossings.
General awareness raising for wider public eg new
crossings changed road priorities.
Additional guidance and skills support for disabled people;
eg for visually impaired people.
Initiatives aimed at drivers, including new drivers through
driving schools etc.
What does this mean?
Consultation is simply
seeking people’s opinions
or feedback
Engagement is taking
consultation further and
actively discussing
different ideas or possible
changes during the
design process
Co-design is where a
project team work with
people as a part of design
or project team and
ensure they are always
actively involved in its
progression.
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Further information
This list of references provides background material on standards
and themes that should be addressed.
1. Co-design in Peckham. Guardian Newspapers. July 27, 2015.
2. Manual for Streets 2 Dept. of Transport, 2010.
3. Manual for Streets: evidence and research. Dept. of Transport,
2007.
4. BS8300:2009+A1 2010 Design of buildings to meet the needs
of disabled people. British Standards Institute. 2010.
5. Neighbourhoods for life. Housing Corporation, 2004.
6. Dementia and Town Planning – RTPI Practice Advice, Royal
Town Planning Institute (RTPI) 2017.
7. The design of pedestrian crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95
Dept. of Transport 1995.
8. Reducing sign clutter, Traffic Advisory Leaflet 01/13 Dept. for
Transport 2013
9. An alternative age-friendly handbook, UK Urban Ageing
Consortium; Age UK; Royal Institute of British Architects; Age-
friendly Manchester, Manchester Institute for Collaborative
Research on Ageing. 2014
10. Shared space, Local Transport Note 1/11, Dept. of Transport,
2011.
11. Violence, Sexuality and Space. Research summary. Economic
and Social Research Council (ESRC), 2005.
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North Somerset Council, 2017.