Ryan Croft, head of business development at Highway Care, discusses specification considerations for integrating road safety and pedestrian protection into landscaping schemes for housing developments.
Residential schemes that actively foster a sense of community through shared green spaces - where people can gather, play and connect - also create a need to protect these spaces and the people using them.
Increased car ownership and changes in lifestyle habits, such as the familiar feature of home delivery vans in residential areas, have led to a much greater stream of traffic at all times of the day - not just the ‘rush hour’ of old.
The sheer number of vehicles on the roads means that safety is a critical factor in keeping people safe while they benefit from the green spaces, which make housing developments so attractive.
A road safety audit will usually be required as part of a Section 278 or Section 38 agreement with the local highway authority during the housing development process. This should incorporate an assessment of any locations where pedestrians may be vulnerable to vehicle incursions onto green spaces or footpaths. That is, in the event of an impact, estimating the distance a vehicle goes beyond the traffic face of a barrier. Obviously, this can vary - depending on the size of the vehicle, the speed it travels and the angle of its impact - so it’s important to consider the type of vehicles that would typically use the roads in and around the development.
It's important to identify any vulnerable locations in the scheme, such as green spaces, footpaths or cycleways next to a busy road, those close to roundabouts and blind corners, or adjacent to roads likely to be used by heavy vehicles, such as where a housing development is on a main route to a distribution hub.
In these scenarios, there not only needs to be clear segregation between the road and the green space, but there also needs to be an effective vehicle restraint system that can prevent vehicles from leaving the road, while protecting both drivers and pedestrians from harm.
This is a safety critical element of the landscaping scheme and, as such, should be a tested and certified vehicle restraint barrier that will stop a vehicle on impact, protecting pedestrians, the driver and damage to property.
But aesthetics are important too. Often the locations in question are those that have been carefully landscaped to create an appealing environment and community spaces. They may also be in a semi-rural location, so a solution is needed that complements the environment and enhances the appearance of paths, play areas and greens.
This can often be a stumbling block - typical landscape edging doesn’t offer sufficient protection but, on the other hand, nobody would want to look out of the window of their new home onto a conventional vehicle restraint system that you’d typically see on a busy road. The Tertu TimberRail system available from Highway Care is designed to meet the needs of both safety and aesthetics.
To deliver on safety, a steel vehicle restraint system with permanent foundations is required to provide the strength and impact resistance required. By combining this with a timber outer casing, Tertu TimberRail transforms a safety feature into a decorative edging, which weathers and ages naturally over time and integrates with the rest of the landscaping, complementing tree planting, woodchip paths and wooden play equipment.
In an increasingly eco-conscious society, house buyers are looking for homes in environments that signal a connection with the natural world and make use of natural materials. While a vehicle restraint barrier has a job to do in keeping people safe, it is often also the first thing people see when driving onto a development, so an aesthetic that is in keeping with the look and ethos of the development is vital.
Where the vehicle restraint barrier is installed between a road and a path, Tertu TimberRail also allows a handrail to be added, ensuring that safety sits holistically within the landscaping scheme, rather than becoming a bolt-on.
Too often, specification considerations for landscaping and road and pedestrian safety are siloed into separate procurement decisions by housing developers, but the two are inherently connected. Increasingly, it’s attention to detail that makes a scheme a success from both a commercial and a safety point of view.
