Ashford, Kent
Lees het (engelstalig) persbericht van 23 juli van de Britse gemeente Ashford over hun Shared Space project.
GROUND-BREAKING ‘SHARED SPACE’ ASHFORD STREET SCHEME
The UK’s first shared space scheme has been completed in Ashford, Kent.
The award-winning scheme has transformed the town’s historic centre and replaces a section of Ashford’s former four lane ring road with two-way streets on which drivers, cyclists and pedestrians have equal priority. Unnecessary street furniture, road markings and traffic lights have been removed and the speed limit cut to 20mph.
Part of the Ashford ‘Breaking Boundaries’ project which aimed to reconnect communities with the town centre, the scheme offers a unique opportunity to see ‘shared space’ in action in the UK. The Ashford project was completed well in advance of other schemes planned for the UK such as Exhibition Road, London, which is due to be realised in 2011.
Lindsey Whitelaw, of landscape architects Whitelaw Turkington, said she is thrilled that the scheme has put Ashford on the map, something they aimed for when the scheme was first proposed: “In the past we have had to travel to the continent, specifically the Netherlands, to see shared space in action. Now on home soil we have set an example of how to revolutionise urban design. By moving away from the segregation of pedestrians, cyclists and cars and through collaboration with artists we have created a unique and distinctive sense of place which, I hope, is an inspiration for town centres everywhere.”
The success of the Ashford scheme is evidenced by local councils across the country putting forward plans to adopt the same approach – including Southend-on-Sea, Staines, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Hereford and Edinburgh.
Judith Armitt, managing director of Ashford’s Future, the agency overseeing Ashford’s growth programme, said she was delighted that the town had created a blueprint for other towns to follow: “The scheme has made our town centre more attractive to residents and visitors and it’s playing a vital role in unlocking the commercial development potential of Ashford.”
As well as the practical ‘shared space elements, the revolutionary integrated street has created a useable and attractive space for the public with street furniture that marries art and function. From the iconic lighting, designed by artist Nayan Kulkarni, to lead artist John Atkin’s elegant wooden bollards and benches, the engagement between artists, engineers and landscape architects has created a real sense of place and a centre for the community.
Two public artworks also celebrate the local distinctiveness and history of the area: Simeon Nelson’s linear floorscape ‘Flume’ celebrates the site’s topographical and hydrological characteristics and traces the normally hidden engineering processes of rainwater management in the urban realm while John Atkin’s cog wheel has a sculptural bolt head as its focal point, which looks back at the role that the railway industries played in shaping the town. This is set alongside lush planted ‘rain gardens’ which are part of the new innovative and sustainable rainwater management system, SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) – the first to be retro-fitted into an urban space the UK.
Accessibility issues were addressed from the beginning of the scheme with an extensive consultation process bringing together Kent County Council, Whitelaw Turkington and disability groups for the duration of the scheme’s development. For the vision-impaired, Whitelaw Turkington developed a series of design solutions which provide visual and tactile guidance on entry to the shared surface, establish ‘safe’ routes around the edges of the space and create clearly defined courtesy crossing points