Removing through traffic and parking to create a local centre that works for people rather than vehicles
Braunstone Gate
Leicester, England
£1.75m
2022
Neighbourhood centre (pop. 15,795)
Community / Economy / Environment / Health & Wellbeing
Less affluent
Creation of walking networks / Improved connectivity with other sustainable transport modes / Improvements to pedestrian comfort, convenience and personal safety / Improvements to route appearance / Deprioritisation of vehicles / Healthy Streets and placemaking
Braunstone Gate is west of Leicester city centre and serves as the high street for the local community. It is in a popular residential neighbourhood, with a mix of permanent residents and students. Historically, Braunstone Gate was part of the transport corridor from Hinkley into Leicester. Since the area last had major highway improvements in the 1970s, much of the through traffic has diverted onto new ring roads. However, some remains, mainly heading for the nearby De Montfort University campus. The area has also traditionally been a key part of Leicester’s night-time economy – with several restaurants, bars, nightclubs and takeaways drawing in large numbers of people and traffic from the evening until the early hours.
In 2020, as part of its Transforming Cities Fund programme, Leicester City Council began to look at how it might re-engineer Braunstone Gate. Its aim was to reduce traffic flow, keep buses moving through the area, and to make it more accommodating and safer for pedestrians, both during the day and in the evening.
A Healthy Streets audit was completed and several design concepts developed, which were then re-tested against the Healthy Streets indicators to ensure that they would result in improvements. These options were shared with local residents and businesses through mailings and drop-in consultation events. Delivery of the project was delayed by the pandemic, but social distancing requirements meant that wooden planters were temporarily put along Braunstone Gate to widen pedestrian space into the carriageway. This helped to bolster support for the scheme, as it demonstrated that parking demand wasn’t as high as some local businesses thought, and that people were fine with parking on side streets.
At the south end of Braunstone Gate, the left turn slip road onto the A5460 was removed and turned into a large, paved area, with trees and plenty of space for adjacent businesses, with street café licences to put out tables and chairs. At the north end, the southbound carriageway was closed to traffic except buses, taxis and cycles, and the northbound exit made left turn only. These changes have discouraged university-bound traffic from cutting through the area (keeping this on the A5460 and New Park Street/Western Boulevard) and slowed down turning traffic.
The pavements have been widened and resurfaced. Rather than bollards or railings, cycle racks are utilised to provide functional barriers between pedestrians and vehicles at key points. Pedestrians have been made to feel more welcome, with a variety of seating and the hoardings that shield the Old Great Central Railway Viaduct (a future development site) decorated with images of old Leicester.
The existing pedestrian crossing was removed in favour of frequent informal crossing points along the street, which enable pedestrians to cross the road wherever they need to. These crossings are demarcated with tactile paving and the carriageway edge with a reduced kerb profile, which creates the feel of a more shared space while providing a physical cue for the visually impaired and guide dogs. A red road surface and large cycle symbols on the carriageway reinforce the perception that vehicles should proceed with care for other road users.
Most of the parking along the carriageway has been permanently moved to side streets to allow for the wider pavements. To satisfy the minority of businesses which were opposed to this, a small number of parking spaces and a loading bay were kept adjacent to the launderette and flower shop – where loading and unloading is most frequent.
The pandemic was disastrous for the UK night-time economy and Braunstone Gate was no exception. The local pubs and restaurants are now faring better, but most of the nightclubs have remained closed. Consequently, night-time footfall is not as high as it once was and there has been no reason to completely close the road to traffic in the evenings – as was originally planned. However, the daytime economy in Braunstone Gate is thriving.
An unintended consequence of the scheme is that, as traffic volumes have decreased, traffic speeds along Braunstone Gate are perceived to have increased. The Council is now considering adding in a buildout and traffic priority signs to create a pinch-point giving precedence to southbound traffic (which is predominantly buses and cycles). This will further benefit bus passengers, who have already seen average journey times through the area reduce by between 1 and 4 minutes during peak times. This is a good example of why new schemes should be monitored post implementation and, where necessary, adapted to local circumstances and concerns. This is more cost effective than abandoning them wholesale.
The council had previously focused on improving the public realm in the city centre. Braunstone Gate was its first foray into applying learning from that in a local centre. The well-received improvements to both the appearance and operation of Braunstone Gate mean that now, funding permitting, the Council will begin to roll out similar schemes in other neighbourhoods.
A well-respected local businessman, who was prepared to vocally champion the project, was helpful in building support to counter-balance initial opposition from some parts of the local business community.
Several existing trees were removed due to invasive root systems, so planters and tree pits were used for new trees and planting – to ensure that, in the future, roots don’t create trip hazards by raising or cracking the pavement.
Designing using a standard palette of materials and colours across the city is cost-effective and makes maintenance cheaper and easier.