In January the St Denys community joined us out on the street to comment on their new designs. They also chose their favorite tree for the scheme and told us about some of the bigger issues and solutions in the neighborhood. These comments will now form the backbone of a report that Sustrans are writing on behalf of the St Denys community to help secure future projects in the area that make improvements to their neighborhood.

Some of the new features have now been built. On Knick Knack Lane and Penn Lane we used a technique to encourage drivers to share the road space with walkers and cyclists where there is no pavement. The different colored road surface helps to create a different feel and encourages drivers to be aware of others.

Sustrans have also been working with local primary schools to run walking and cycling events. 70 children from Eden Park Primary School rode their bikes and scooters to school for breakfast in February. They made badges for their bikes and had a go at slalom racing.

The local community has also been involved in the redesign of St Mary's Square. The final plans are almost finished and construction is due to be completed by the end of May 2011.

This Simple Guide is for anyone interested in changing their street into a place where people are the focus, rather than cars. It shows how simple, affordable changes can really help, and how you can make it happen - with support from Sustrans or other bodies like your local council.

Step-by-step help

Once you've read the Simple Guide, you might find the following, more detailed information useful. The links will help you through your DIY Streets journey, with ideas, resources and contacts to ensure that your community's plans remain on track.

• Section 1 - Support and training opportunities
• Section 2 - Running a meeting
• Section 3 - Ways to evaluate your project
• Section 4 - Organising events
• Section 5 - Writting newsletters
• Section 6 - Setting up a constituted residents' group
• Section 7 - How to reach a consensus decision
• Section 8 - Writing an action plan
• Section 9 - Fundraising
• Section 10 - Developing some art for your street
• Section 11 - Introducing plants and trees into your street
• Section 12 - Encouraging play
• Section 13 - Planning a street party
• Section 14 - Getting the local press involved
• Section 15 - Design
  

Design information sheets

• 1. Life in Front Gardens
• 2. Temporary Art and Children's Games
• 3. Greenery
• 4. Narrowing the road
• 5. Reduce Sightlines
• 6. Chicanes
• 7. Cushions, Humps and Tables
• 8. Gateways
• 9. Street Furniture

Further resources

• Cabe Spaceshaper - A practical toolkit to measure the quality of a public space before you invest in it.
• Community Street Audits by Living Streets - This is a way to evaluate the quality of streets and spaces from the viewpoint of the people who use them, rather than those who manage them.
• Place Check - This is a method of assessing the qualities of a place, showing what improvements are needed, and focusing people on working together to achieve them.
• Manual for streets - The Department for Transport's guide to good street design. It emphasises that streets should be places in which people want to live and spend time in, and are not just transport corridors. Specifically, it aims to address the impact of vehicles on residential streets putting high priority on the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transport.
• Designing Streets - An urban planning policy document on street design. Published by the Scottish Government it provides guidance in the planning, design, provision and approval of new streets, and alterations to existing ones.
• Streets Alive - This website provides information about holding your own street party from information on securing road closures to buying insurance.
• Mental speed bumps - This book provides a practical guide for residents, parents, health professionals and city planners that questions conventional methods of traffic calming.
• Community planning - This website gives clear advice on how people can get involved in shaping their communities. 
• Playing Out - A project which aims to promote and encourage a return to street play through safe, direct action.