We want to ensure that roads, streets and public spaces in the borough are designed in a way that creates a nice environment for residents to enjoy and supports our vision for a greener Lewisham and a thriving local economy.

Designing streets and public spaces in Lewisham

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Traffic Management

Controlling and calming traffic on streets can improve road safety and create better environments for pedestrians and cyclists. The Design Guide suggests various ways to control and calm traffic.Read about the proposed approach to traffic management in the draft Design Guide.

Cycle Infrastructure

The Design Guide encourages all streets to consider the needs of people cycling to help enable as many people as possible to make more journeys by bike. It is important that designers consider and understand that streets need to accommodate a wide range of users of cycle infrastructure, from young children to elderly people, and the range of bikes used, from standard bicycles and e-bikes to cargo-bikes and adapted cycles.It is important that cycle infrastructure is designed to accommodate all types of cycles and meet the needs of users.Read about the proposed approach to cycle infrastructure in the draft Design Guide.

Junctions and Crossings

Well-designed junctions and crossings can help ensure pedestrians are prioritised when making journeys around the borough and that the priority afforded to pedestrians in the Highway Code is reinforced in the built environment.Read about the proposed approach to junctions and crossings in the draft Design Guide.

Footways

As part of our work to reduce air pollution, improve road safety and reduce traffic and congestion, we want to reduce the number of car journeys in Lewisham and encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport. The design of our pavements is vital in enabling more people to walk/wheel around the borough.&nbsp;The Design Guide sets out how new and existing pavements can be designed/ improved to prioritise the movement, comfort and accessibility of people walking or wheeling around the borough by making sure that they are wide enough and that the surface is smooth and flat and where possible footways continue across side roads and driveways.Read about the proposed approach to pavements in the Design Guide.

Carriageways (Roads)

As part of our work to reduce air pollution, improve road safety and reduce traffic and congestion, we want to reduce the number of car journeys in Lewisham and encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport. The design of our roads (carriageways) plays a big role in supporting people to make fewer journeys by car, as well as helping to influence road safety.&nbsp;As a guiding principle, the Design Guide proposes that the carriageway should take-up minimal space, while still being able to accommodate a street&rsquo;s traffic flows. This will help to maximise the space available for journeys made on foot or by bike, create space for other design interventions and moderate vehicle speeds.Read about the proposed approach to roads and the carriageway in the draft Design Guide.

Core Narrative

We want to ensure that roads, streets and public spaces in the borough are designed in a way that creates a nice environment for residents to enjoy and supports our vision for a greener Lewisham and a thriving local economy.We want to see streets and public spaces in Lewisham that are:<ul><li dir="ltr">Distinctive:&nbsp;creating characterful and well-designed places that are clutter-free</li><li dir="ltr">Accessible:&nbsp;creating a safe and accessible environment that enables people to make more journeys on foot, by bike or by public transport</li><li dir="ltr">Comfortable: supporting public life and enjoyment of streets and public spaces&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Climate resilient: integrating more greening and planting and helping mitigate flooding through sustainable urban drainage.</li><li dir="ltr">Focused on the local economy: using space on our high streets and in our town centres in a way that supports local businesses and creates a thriving&nbsp;</li></ul> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/commonplace-digital-limited/image/upload/v1710264815/projects/65dc781f379d80dc86ba59b6/n2vjiirubcb2t6fxsgzq.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Image of a streetscape" data-uw-rm-alt-original="Image of a streetscape" style="width: 600px;">

Streetscape Design Guide

Our draft Streetscape Design Guide has been developed as a toolkit that can be used by designers, planning teams and other stakeholders to enhance the design quality of our streets and public spaces and achieve our aims.It includes design guidance on things like:<ul><li dir="ltr">Greening and planting</li><li dir="ltr">Pavements&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Roads&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Cycle infrastructure&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Junctions and crossings&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Traffic management</li></ul> The consultation will close on 24 April 2024.

Greening and Planting

Increasing greening and planting on our streets and in our public spaces can play a key role in minimising the impacts of climate change, such as biodiversity loss, high rainfall and flooding and increasing temperatures, as well as issues like air pollution.&nbsp;The Design Guide sets out how additional greening and planting can be integrated into new and existing streets and public spaces.Read about the proposed approach to greening and planting in the Design Guide.