Heol Degwm, Bridgend
Introducing the street
Heol Degwm is a classic example of a street designed in an era when car ownership was very low. The carriageway is narrow, and there are wide grass verges separating pedestrians from cars and other road users, as was the trend in the 1960's and 70's.
Today however, although the area has lower car ownership than the national average, many households own at least one or more cars. Heol Degwm is simply not designed to deal with this situation, with the result that the grassed areas that were originally designed to create a high quality green environment, now become churned and muddied as cars park on them, and generally contribute to a poor quality of environment. The large numbers of cars parking on the verges also create a safety hazard for pedestrians attempting to cross the road.
.jpg "Heol Degwm") |
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| Before | Dry stone walling by Heol Degwm's entrance |
Facts and background:
Capital (build and materials) cost - £95,000
- Type - N/A
- No. of dwellings - 94
- Length of street - 437 Metres
- Project partnership between - Sustrans, Bridgend County Council, Valleys to Coast Housing Association and residents of Heol Degwm.
- Funded by - Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Bridgend County Council and Valleys to Coast Housing Association
Street traffic Issues:
- Lack of parking
- Insufficient use of space
- Green spaces muddied due to parking
- If road widen traffic calming measures may need to be introduced to keep traffic speeds low
Note: This project has yet to be built due to other major remedial works taking place on the street. It is hoped this will happen in 2010.
Proposed solutions:
The proposal is to rearrange the parking in the street, perhaps to transform some of the green verges into parking spaces, while incorporating traffic calming measures to ensure that when the road is widened traffic speeds do not increase.
- Rearrange parking
- Transform some of the ‘green' spaces into parking to minimise the parking on the grass verges
- Trees to add greenery and shade to the street
- Planters to add colour to the street
- Speed tables and build-outs to create a chicane and encourage slower traffic speeds
- Artwork to give the street an identity and the residents a sense of ownership
Watch a short clip of the Heol Degwm street re-design proposals on YouTube.