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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/23/how-can-i-reduce-traffic-in-my-area
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| How can I reduce traffic in my area? | How can I reduce traffic in my area? |
| (1 day later) | |
| “People are growing much more aware of the impact of traffic, including air pollution and crowded residential streets,” says Sian Berry from the Campaign for Better Transport. “It’s not surprising that communities are taking action to make their streets quieter, cleaner and friendlier.” | “People are growing much more aware of the impact of traffic, including air pollution and crowded residential streets,” says Sian Berry from the Campaign for Better Transport. “It’s not surprising that communities are taking action to make their streets quieter, cleaner and friendlier.” |
| There are a number of approaches you can take. The charity Sustrans helps communities redesign their streets to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Its two-year DIY Streets project in Haringey in north London reduced traffic at monitoring sites by 10%. | There are a number of approaches you can take. The charity Sustrans helps communities redesign their streets to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Its two-year DIY Streets project in Haringey in north London reduced traffic at monitoring sites by 10%. |
| Finlay McNab, national projects coordinator at Sustrans, says that people shouldn’t feel daunted by the process of getting a street layout changed to reduce traffic or to slow it down. “You can do more than you think if you’re prepared to go to council meetings,” he says. “You can achieve a lot, even with small amounts of money.” | Finlay McNab, national projects coordinator at Sustrans, says that people shouldn’t feel daunted by the process of getting a street layout changed to reduce traffic or to slow it down. “You can do more than you think if you’re prepared to go to council meetings,” he says. “You can achieve a lot, even with small amounts of money.” |
| Another approach is to try to change the mindset of road users by altering the appearance of the road. The Victoria Parade Residents Association in Bristol applied to its neighbourhood partnership access fund for money to purchase giant colourful stickers that were then blowtorched onto the road surface. | Another approach is to try to change the mindset of road users by altering the appearance of the road. The Victoria Parade Residents Association in Bristol applied to its neighbourhood partnership access fund for money to purchase giant colourful stickers that were then blowtorched onto the road surface. |
| “Ours is a long, one-way street that’s used by drivers as a cut-through between two main roads,” says resident Jim McEwan. “We wanted to do something that would make drivers turning into the road think ‘hang on, people live here’. | “Ours is a long, one-way street that’s used by drivers as a cut-through between two main roads,” says resident Jim McEwan. “We wanted to do something that would make drivers turning into the road think ‘hang on, people live here’. |
| “There’s no limit to how creative you can be with thermoplastic road markings. We viewed the road as a 150-metre long canvas. We ran art workshops and had a street party where we tried out our designs in poster paint on the road. And from the start we had our local councillor on board, which was critical.” | “There’s no limit to how creative you can be with thermoplastic road markings. We viewed the road as a 150-metre long canvas. We ran art workshops and had a street party where we tried out our designs in poster paint on the road. And from the start we had our local councillor on board, which was critical.” |
| Getting people to see the street as a community resource is important. “A high proportion of traffic will be made up of people who live locally,” says Finlay. “A street party can make people more receptive to the idea of traffic reduction.” | Getting people to see the street as a community resource is important. “A high proportion of traffic will be made up of people who live locally,” says Finlay. “A street party can make people more receptive to the idea of traffic reduction.” |
| Playing Out, the Bristol-based community interest company that encourages street play across the UK, successfully lobbied its local authority to introduce temporary play street orders, which allow residential streets to be closed to traffic for up to three hours a week, every week for a year. | Playing Out, the Bristol-based community interest company that encourages street play across the UK, successfully lobbied its local authority to introduce temporary play street orders, which allow residential streets to be closed to traffic for up to three hours a week, every week for a year. |
| “The orders work best when people really consult with their neighbours,” says Naomi Fuller, communications officer at Playing Out. | “The orders work best when people really consult with their neighbours,” says Naomi Fuller, communications officer at Playing Out. |
| “And it can be a good idea to apply to do a one-off to see if there’s an appetite to do more and whether you have enough people willing to be stewards. | “And it can be a good idea to apply to do a one-off to see if there’s an appetite to do more and whether you have enough people willing to be stewards. |
| “The benefits are felt by all residents, not just the kids. When I went to apologise to an elderly couple on my street about the noise the children had made, they said they preferred the sound of children playing over the noise of cars speeding down the road and doors slamming.” | “The benefits are felt by all residents, not just the kids. When I went to apologise to an elderly couple on my street about the noise the children had made, they said they preferred the sound of children playing over the noise of cars speeding down the road and doors slamming.” |
| Visit the Playing Out website to find out if your local authority has some form of play street order. If not, lobby your local councillor. | Visit the Playing Out website to find out if your local authority has some form of play street order. If not, lobby your local councillor. |
| Your local transition group is also a good starting point; it may have traffic-reducing projects under way that you could help with. Or ask your local council if your community has a neighbourhood plan, which should include information about transport and traffic issues, as well as ideas for improvements. | Your local transition group is also a good starting point; it may have traffic-reducing projects under way that you could help with. Or ask your local council if your community has a neighbourhood plan, which should include information about transport and traffic issues, as well as ideas for improvements. |
| A walk to school campaign can also help reduce traffic. The charity Living Streets has been campaigning since 1929 to make the streets safer and more attractive, largely by getting more people walking. If your school isn’t one of the 2,000 across the UK involved in Living Streets’ Walk to School campaign, contact your headteacher or ask your local authority to involve all schools in your area. | A walk to school campaign can also help reduce traffic. The charity Living Streets has been campaigning since 1929 to make the streets safer and more attractive, largely by getting more people walking. If your school isn’t one of the 2,000 across the UK involved in Living Streets’ Walk to School campaign, contact your headteacher or ask your local authority to involve all schools in your area. |
| “One of the things we do is look at what is stopping people from walking their children to school,” says Kevin Golding-Williams, public affairs and policy manager at Living Streets. “It can be anything from poorly maintained pavements to traffic congestion around the school gate. Addressing those barriers can have a big impact on getting people out of their cars. | “One of the things we do is look at what is stopping people from walking their children to school,” says Kevin Golding-Williams, public affairs and policy manager at Living Streets. “It can be anything from poorly maintained pavements to traffic congestion around the school gate. Addressing those barriers can have a big impact on getting people out of their cars. |
| “We also conduct street audits with local authorities and community groups to identify what improvements could be made. That might be removing unnecessary bollards or other obstructive street furniture to help make walking safer and easier.” | “We also conduct street audits with local authorities and community groups to identify what improvements could be made. That might be removing unnecessary bollards or other obstructive street furniture to help make walking safer and easier.” |
| The projects in this series: | |
| 1. The community supported farm | 1. The community supported farm |
| 2. The bike repair co-operative | 2. The bike repair co-operative |
| 3. The community garden centre | 3. The community garden centre |
| 4. The community forest | 4. The community forest |
| 5. The meat-rearing collective | 5. The meat-rearing collective |
| 6. The owl conservation group | 6. The owl conservation group |
| 7. The neighbourhood community scheme | 7. The neighbourhood community scheme |
| 8. The local beer-growing group | 8. The local beer-growing group |
| 9. The Solar Schools project | 9. The Solar Schools project |
| 10. The clothes swap project | 10. The clothes swap project |
| 11. The beekeeping group | 11. The beekeeping group |
| 12. The repair cafe | 12. The repair cafe |
| 13. The ecotherapy garden | 13. The ecotherapy garden |
| 14. The community allotment | |
| 15. The nature reserve | |
| 16. The school growing project | 16. The school growing project |
| 17. The traffic reduction project | |
| This article is part of the Live Better Community Project month. In September, we are showcasing 17 community projects from around the UK. We are asking you to vote for your favourite project. The project with the most votes will be awarded £1,000 of funding, and two runners-up will each receive funding of £500. One voter chosen at random will receive £150 worth of gift vouchers for Nigel’s Eco Store. Terms and conditions here. | This article is part of the Live Better Community Project month. In September, we are showcasing 17 community projects from around the UK. We are asking you to vote for your favourite project. The project with the most votes will be awarded £1,000 of funding, and two runners-up will each receive funding of £500. One voter chosen at random will receive £150 worth of gift vouchers for Nigel’s Eco Store. Terms and conditions here. |
| With thanks to: 10:10; FOE; Project Dirt; Neighbourly; UK Community Foundations; Groundwork; Business in the Community; Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens; the Prince’s Trust; Garden Organic; the Royal Horticultural Society; the RSPB; Keep Wales Tidy; The Wildlife Trusts; and Mind. | With thanks to: 10:10; FOE; Project Dirt; Neighbourly; UK Community Foundations; Groundwork; Business in the Community; Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens; the Prince’s Trust; Garden Organic; the Royal Horticultural Society; the RSPB; Keep Wales Tidy; The Wildlife Trusts; and Mind. |
| Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month’s Live Better challenge here. | Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month’s Live Better challenge here. |
| The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. | The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. |