Source: Derek Harper (cc-by-sa/2.0)
By Luc Pellecuer, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering
Unexpected street works forcing you to navigate unmarked diversions without safe crossings can be frustrating. Now imagine facing this scenario while using a wheelchair, pushing a pushchair, or guiding a visually impaired person. What might be merely inconvenient for some becomes a genuine hazard and an accessibility barrier for many.
The Daily Challenge of Street Works
Street works are a necessary part of keeping our cities and towns functional and safe. However, these works often pose significant challenges for vulnerable street users—pedestrians, cyclists, individuals with disabilities, older people, children, and others who rely on safe and accessible pathways. While traffic management practices are guided by UK industry standards and regulations, there is a growing acknowledgement for the need to ensure that these practices are inclusive and prioritise the needs of all street users.
Beyond Inconvenience: The Real Price of Poor Access
Street works can be a source of inconvenience and, more critically, a safety hazard for vulnerable street users. Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) solutions often prioritise vehicular traffic, sometimes leaving pedestrians and cyclists to navigate:
- Poorly marked diversions
- Uneven surfaces and temporary footways
- Inadequate lighting during autumn and winter months
- Narrow passages that don’t meet minimum width requirements
- Routes that force pedestrians into traffic or require crossing busy carriageways
For individuals with disabilities, such as those who are visually impaired or use wheelchairs, these challenges can be even more daunting. Older people and children also face unique challenges when navigating street works, which increases the risk of trips and falls or makes them less visible to other street users.
The consequences of neglecting vulnerable street users are far-reaching. When walking or cycling becomes inconvenient or unsafe, people may opt for private cars instead – or abandon their daily activities altogether. This shift not only undermines government efforts to promote active travel but also has detrimental effects on public health, community wellbeing, and environmental sustainability.
Current Standards and Guidance: A Glimpse of Hope
Despite the abundance of literature and industry guidance on traffic management, there is limited focus on creating inclusive solutions that cater to all street users. The “Red Book,” officially known as Safety at Street Works and Road Works: A Code of Practice, serves as a key reference for traffic management practices in the UK. However, the latest edition, dating back to 2013, does not offer guidance on how to include vulnerable users’ needs in the design of TTM. Hopefully, its much-anticipated revision will help address this important gap.
Similarly, the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC UK) provides essential resources and operational guidance for street works. I attended the HAUC UK convention in Manchester on 2nd April, where the importance of accommodating the needs of vulnerable street users was emphasized. On this occasion, HAUC UK launched a new app that offers valuable practical guidance on accommodating vulnerable street users, specifically addressing the needs of various disabled user groups.
Bridging the Gap: Our Research Project for Inclusive Streets
To help address these gaps, I am leading a research project aimed at investigating the priorities of TTM design and how decisions are made and implemented within the UK context. Our focus is on understanding how current practices incorporate the needs of vulnerable street users and how they can be improved to meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty.
The project has the following key objectives:
- Safety First: Determine how TTM practices can ensure that vulnerable street users can safely use the highway during construction periods
- Service Quality: Evaluate whether these users are provided with acceptable levels of service to use the highway as they choose
- Practical Solutions: Develop actionable guidance for practitioners on adapting traffic engineering practices to create safe and sustainable transport infrastructure
By achieving these objectives, the research will enhance active travel, improve community health and well-being, and align with UK transport policy on sustainable infrastructure.
Gathering Insights: Help Shape Better Streets
As part of our project, I will soon be conducting focus groups and short interviews to gather the perspectives of various vulnerable street users. These sessions will provide invaluable insights into the real-world challenges faced by pedestrians, cyclists, individuals with disabilities, older people, and children during street works. This input will help us advise contractors, utility companies, and local highway authorities on the best ways to accommodate your needs.
I invite anyone who identifies as a vulnerable street user or has relevant experiences to participate in our project. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact me. Together, we can work towards creating safer and more inclusive streets for everyone. Because when streets work for the most vulnerable among us, they work better for all of us.
This blog was written by Dr Luc Pellecuer, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Dr Luc Pellecuer is and member of the Centre for Transport and Society and a Senior lecturer at the School of Engineering where he teaches Transport Engineering. He has always had a keen interest in the sustainable design and management of transport infrastructure. He is particularly passionate about his most recent projects, which focus on developing inclusive transport engineering solutions that serve the most vulnerable member of society. You can contact him at luc.pellecuer@uwe.ac.uk or on LinkedIn: Luc Pellecuer.