Watford Borough Council commissioned Project Centre to redesign a key section of Watford High Street. The intu shopping centre invested £180 million in the extension and refurbishment of its offer. The Council identified that a substantial investment was required to complement this scheme and maximize the anticipated increases in footfall. The High Street, although vibrant, had large numbers of illegal vehicles cutting through. In addition to the significant volumes of bus traffic which caused congestion. The carriageway was wide, and the previous layout caused pedestrians to be constrained to the narrow footways, cluttered with furniture. Utilising our multi-disciplinary team of highway engineering, traffic engineering and urban design we restructured the High Street. It made it feel more pedestrian-friendly, safer and better for businesses.
Process
The many facets within this scheme included:
Vehicle restriction – The area was predominantly a pedestrian zone except for buses, taxis and loading at any time The design reduces the volume of traffic, enabling improvements. Through the relocation of taxi ranks and disabled parking to areas adjacent to the High Street.
Bus lane/bus stops – The concentration of bus stops caused congestion on the footway. The design rationalised the bus stops making the space more permeable and re-routed some buses. It provided greater bus access to other areas of the town centre and relocated some regulating activities.
Carriageway – The carriageway was approximately 6.9m wide, dominating the space. Due to the low volume of vehicles that officially require the carriageway the design placed the bus cages within the carriageway, narrowing it down to 5.5m and providing additional footway space for pedestrians.
Materials – The project sought to link the variety of materials used across the town centre. As the project is the centre piece to the High Street the materials used are of high quality with some bespoke detailing where adequate.
Street furniture – The previous street furniture layout was restricting footway widths and forcing pedestrians away from the carriageway. Through careful design Project Centre created a street furniture corridor which provided a “safe route” for pedestrians away from vehicle movements whilst providing permeability.
Impact
By all means, the relocation of the taxi rank and disabled parking as well as re-routing some bus routes. It also removed vehicles from the High Street, enforcement has stopped illegal traffic through the site. This has resulted in a reduction of over 65% (over 740) vehicles per day and reduced the number of buses in this area by 42%.
Watford High Street is a successful as much as safe shopping street that is ready to welcome residents and visitors for the next few decades.