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Funded by the Department for Transport, under the Future Integrated Transport Research
Programme. This was a LINK project, designed to bring together academic and industrial partners,
to develop and move ideas towards commercial application.
The aim of the project was to develop a software suite of tools to assist engineers,
planners and urban designers in the redesign of major urban streets, including measures
for the reallocation of road space. The tools offer assistance in the task of assimilating
the large quantities of design guidance and advice that has been issued in recent years
by different agencies.
The work was carried out by a team at the University of Westminster's Transport Studies
Group (within the School of Architecture and the Built Environment), in conjunction with GIS
software developers Buchanan Computing Ltd and GDC Ltd. Transport for London have advised
on the project specification and helped assess the developed software modules.
The software suite of tools can be grouped into four categories:
(A) Web-based Knowledge Tool
The web-based knowledge tool consists of six modules:
'Policy guidance and information' (information about national policies and general guidance);
'Data sources' (links to national and regional statistics);
'Street management' (information about street functions);
'Stakeholder engagement' (non-professional groups with an interest in streets);
'Design guidance' (relating to the requirements of different modes and street design);
'Best practice examples' (ten examples of streets that have been redesigned).
Click here to start web-based knowledge tool (now offine)
(B) Street Space Design Tool
A computer program that can be used to lay out road markings and
related aspects of street space allocation, based on an enhanced version of Buchanan Computing
Ltd's original LineMap product. This is a GIS-based tool, that can draw on a wide range of
spatially referenced data, while providing CAD functionality.
The various enhancements to LineMap were agreed between TSG and Buchanan Computing Ltd, and
implemented by the latter. A new, free standing 'conflict checker' software was developed by TSG.
(C) Web-based Consultation Tool
TSG have developed this tool using GDC Ltd's PlanAccess software. The software was used to develop
a series of templates covering different stages of the street design consultation process, from
problem/issue identification through to commenting on detailed street design options.
A demonstration version of this tool is available that illustrates an application of the templates
prepared for a proposed public consultation exercise in the Shadwell area of inner East London.
Click here to start web-based consultation tool (now offine)
(D) Updating Links Table
All references to reports and data tables in the street space design and reallocation tool are
accompanied by web links to the original source document, on the DfT or other appropriate web site.
As these links can change quite frequently (particularly those to data tables), all web links in
the tool are connected to a look-up table, from where the electronic link is actually made to the
original site. This table is both easy to locate, and means that links to any source document or
table only have to be checked and updated once, no matter how often they might be referred to within
the tool.
For more information, please contact:
Prof. Peter Jones
Centre for Transport Studies, UCL (former Director, Transport Studies Group)
Graham Tanner
tannerg@westminster.ac.uk
Research Fellow, Transport Studies Group
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