Removing the roadblocks

Implementing the change

John Thomson

10th June 2010

Early 20th century Urban development

Duties traditionally undertaken by Municipal Engineers up until the end of the second world war

• Planned and provided Roads• Developed the urban layout• Designed and built Public buildings• Addressed Public health through sewars and clean water supply• Provided Gas and electric supplies• Graveyards• Etc.

So where are the perceived current roadblocks?

Local Authorities – Engineers?

So what ‘s the problem?

Moving the project from a vision into reality and beyond

• Who is taking the long term ownership of the infrastructure?• How long is it going to last before we have to spend hard

pressed resources on it?• What's the potential for dispute resolution? • Does it address out Economic, Social and Environmental

concerns + Political

Problems

Changes in Terminology

Legislation and policy

Long term concerns for local authority

Project Development Process

Feasibility stage

Outline planning permission

Detailed planning permission

Programmed construction stage

RCC application process

Bond application process

Revised process to improve and meet Designing Street’s policy of issuing RCC in a similar timescale as Planning Permission

Project Development Process

Feasibility stage

Programmed construction stage

Detailed planning permission

Outline planning permission

RCC application process

Bond application process

Technical approval process

Revised process to improve and meet Designing Street’s policy of issuing RCC in a similar timescale as Planning Permission

Welcome to bureaucracy!

PKC Flow diagram of the Road Construction Consent process

Includes Bonds and street naming and numbering

Hierarchy of guidance and control

1. Legislation2. Policy3. Approved Codes of Practice4. Code of Practice5. Guides and advisory notes

Shall, Should and May

Hierarchy of policy and guidance

Roads Development Guide (Guide)

Designing Streets

(Policy)

Local Placemaking guide (Guide)

Legislation concerns

Based on Transport research laboratory report TRL661

Changed standards in “Designing Streets” is contrary to my long held understanding, will I end up in court?

Construction Design & Management Regs 2007

Highway risk and Liability claims

SNH guide to legal liabilities

Legislation concerns

On this third principle, where a highway authority has made Balanced Decisions, it would be difficult to claim that it had acted irrationally.

A highway authority should not act irrationality.

3

This principle is self evidentA highway authority should avoid trapping reasonable road users into danger, for example by introducing hidden danger.

2

The first principle treats the road user as an intelligent being, able and expected to exercise their own judgment. It is not necessary for the design of a scheme to take that independence of judgment out of the hands of the road user.

Road users are responsible for their own safety and have a duty to take the road as they find it.

1

Extract from Highway risk and Liability:- “There have been very few successful claims against local authorities on the basis of design. And it

seems likely that it would take an exceptional degree of negligence to trap a reasonable user into danger.”

VI V IV III II I

Expert committee reports, opinions and/experience of respected authoritiesIV

Well-designed non-experimental descriptive studies, case-control studies, or case seriesIII

Well-designed quasi-experimental studyIIb

Well-designed controlled study without randomisationIIa

Randomised controlled trialIb

Several randomised controlled trialsIa

Most street guidance

Manual for Streets

Expert opinion

Case-control studies

Controlledstudies

Randomised controlled

studies

Specialistopinion

Individualopinion

Evidence based design

Expert in this instance means expertise in streets; not just one aspect of a street

Problems with evidence and opinion

Logical fallacies*Appeal to authority – trust me I’m a specialist*Special pleading – its new – show me that it works – vs its old – show me that it works*Risk compensation – seems safer – I’ll be riskier

Statistical problems- Experimental bias – people look for results that confirm their beliefs or hypotheses *Regression to mean – failure to acknowledge random nature of events*Confounding factors

Road evolution and current use

Developments in transport forms drove improvements in road surfaces

How things change!

1906 to 2005 Perth street scenes

Key changes are surfaces and uses

Places have a different atmosphere

Understanding the main roadblocks

From Design to Asset Management

From Vision to Adoption and Maintenance responsibility

Public Funding CutsRoads Maintenance Backlog figures

State of the Scottish Local Roads Network

Data from SCOTS 2010 reportBaseline current expenditure =

5,700Km (11%) in red/amber in 10 years time

Standstill Budget to maintain at current condition= £167.6million / year over next 10 years

Decline (10% budget decrease) = additional 7,300Km (14%) more red /amber in 10 years time

£5M for each Local Authority per year

Understanding Roads design to gain durability

Roman Road design

Intervening yearsConstruction systems

PAVEMENT

FOUNDATION

FORMATION

Modern flexible pavement construction

LoadLoad Spreading analysis

Stress and Durability

Stress load on road due to UK artic twin tyre and recently introduced European super single tyre at 5.5 tonne

Rigid and Modular Road construction

Reinforced Concrete

Modular to BS7533 in 13 partsincluding pervious pavements.

The ethos of standard urban road pavement cross section

2.5%2.5% 2.5%

Sewer

RoadGullies

Connections

Utilities

Air Vents& DPC

HouseRoad

Boundary

Thresholdlevel

drainagechannelKerb

Door and vent thresholds

Drainage falls apply regardless of pavement profile

Serviceability of roads

• Winter maintenance• Litter standards• Dog fouling• Trip hazards and

compensation claims against councils

Variable surfacing widths and serviceability

Can we learn from recent road layout details?

Traditional and contemporary surfaces

High quality contemporary surfaces

Street furniture and details

Attention to detail is key specifically

where utilities are

located

Design road details

Clear indication of changed place, pedestrian priority

Street setting and lighting maintenance

Fold-down street lights to access lamp replacement

Traditional and modern design can mix well

Understanding the stress on road materials

Bus and car constrained route with too small stone blocks laid in ineffective mortar

Braking point at junction

Sheer failure due to canalisation by bus tyres

Constrained traffic loading

Putting all that together and add in utility chambers

Utilities in Streets

Statutory duty to supply and maintain services

Unregulated locations within a road

Relocation costs are expensive

Failed high quality road surfaces

Failed high specification road surface

Was the cause utilities or ground

conditions

Results in loss of reputation and

additional disruption

Current utilities guidance

• NJUG new development cross section

• RAUC Advice Note 15 Guidelines for Positioning Utilities apparatus in Home Zones

• Agreement at RAUCs to revise in line with renaissance aspirations

Utility defects in high amenity surfaces

Water pipe burst and temporary or are they permanent repairs

Local coordination between road and utilities to identify special engineering sites

Street Works

• Code of Practice• Minimum road widths during

works results in road closure and disruption to traffic

• Consider diversion routes

Traffic Signs Manual -Chapter 8Traffic safety measures and signs for Road works and Temporary situations

Utilities

Extracts from Alan Baxter's layout for Poundbury

Can it coincide with SUDS layout?

Consider extent of adopted areas

Plan Utility and drainage layout at early stage

Adopted roads are multi-functional

Can developers promote the rear gardens as the major domestic amenity location? Design in SUDS or service

collection point

Trees in streetsNO TREES, NO FUTURE

Trees in the urban realm

Trees and Design Action GroupNovember 2009

Major issues with trees in streets are

Leaf and gum fall blocking drains and marking parked cars

Root concerns with utility apparatus and house foundations

Park trees or road trees?

Asset value of a mature tree is estimated at £77,600

Mature trees can substantially enhance a place

Are certain trees more suited to the road or a park environment?

ParkingIn some locations public transport doesn't meeting the need of the community

Cars are the only travel option

Space allocations need to be fit for purpose

Over restrictive parking allocations result in renegade parking and social problems

Design standards

Cycle parking

How valuable are they really?

Understand social and environmental changes

Build-in provision for future social demands – it may prove negligible cost but add significantly to the value

High speed Broadband

Alternative power sources for individual transport needs

Environmental Design guides may be inappropriate for that location

A93 Otter fencing

SUDS (Sustainable urban drainage system)

Objective - Minimise the impacts from the development on the quantity and quality of rainfall runoff, and maximise the amenity and biodiversity

(SUDS Manual 1.1)

SUDS Guidance

The SUDS Handbook CIRIA Report C697

SUDS for Roads

SUDS Guidance

• Level of Service

• Sustainability

• Cost

1. Flood protection should provide minimum level of protection

2. Risks to people and amenity benefits should be addressed (includes safety)

1. Drainage system should aim to replicate the natural rainfall-runoff, (pre-development)

2. Water quality treatment should minimise environmental impact

3. Maximise ecological benefits4. Drainage systems aim to use recyclable

materials

1. Demonstrate Whole life costs analysis

Principles driving drainage design criteria selection Table 3.1 CIRIA C697

SUDSA design challenge but can become a great opportunity

Attenuation ponds

• Case title and date – Tomlinson v Congleton Borough Council –House of Lords, 2003

• they express a principle which is still valid today, namely, that it is contrary to common sense, and therefore not sound law, to expect an occupier to provide protection against an obvious danger arising on his land arising from a natural feature such as a lake or a cliff and to impose a duty on him to do so".

Legislative position - Fencing off ponds

Sewers for Scotland , Section 7

adoption agreement between Scottish Water and Local Authorities

The way ahead

SCOTS Development Control Group

From 32 Local Authorities, 27 attended, 1 regional transport authority and Transport Scotland

The society of Senior Officers in Transportation in Scotland

1. Participate and assist Designing Streets Education workshops2. Draft national based Roads Development Guide3. Develop Section 7 schedule format and publish4. Report best practice on RCC process & Inspection charging5. Report on SUDS best practice experience and asset costs6. Report on Bond charges best practice

Future developments

National “Roads Development Guide”(Interim stage = Letter to all Developers Designing Streets is policy and is dominate to

Roads Development guide)

Utility guidance for new developments through RAUCs

“SUDS for roads” due to be issued this year

Section 7 schedules established for individual schemes

Improved coordination and education between all professions, Developers and Politicians

Integration of RCC into planning system through e-planning

A fundamental ground shift in approach

The Elephant in the room

Access to funding to provide front end infrastructure

Overall Masterplan approach to developments

Land owner continuing involvement in ownership of the development

Developer contribution

How do we deliver essential infrastructure to facilitate good development?

Remember the Municipal Engineer

The current situation

In-depth guidance exists - if you know -1. It exists2. Where it is

Disparate groups working without coordination

Workshop analysis to expose failings and devise solutions

What we really need –

Coordinated approach required across professions, developers and politicians – workshop approach

Efficient process?

The Scottish Urban development group?

A simple guide to access information that leads to more

detail