It is 22 years since the award winning Kensington High Street project was completed in London. I recall the deputy leader of the council, Daniel Moylan, now Lord Moylan, being told by the highway officers that 600 metres of guard-railing had to remain to keep the traffic moving and pedestrians safe.
At the time, peak traffic flows on Kensington High St were in the order of 1500 vehicles an hour.
Daniel Moylan realised that the guard-railing resulted in a low quality pedestrian experience and the status quo was no longer viable, especially as Westfield were building a £1billion shopping mall one mile away at Shepherd’s Bush, which was likely to suck the life out of Kensington High Street.
Daniel Moylan made the decision to improve the pedestrian environment and remove the guard-railing and other street clutter, against officer advice.
It was crucial that the changes along Kensington High St were part of a carefully thought out strategy that would stand up to scrutiny if ever there was an accident or litigation. The risk audit was signed-off by the whole council rather than any individual.
What followed was a radical rethinking of the safety culture in relation to street design across the UK and beyond.
When the 600 metres of guard-railing was removed from Kensington High St, three years of monitoring followed, which revealed a 43% decrease in injuries from accidents involving vehicles.
Following this, the Institution of Civil Engineers revised their guidance to highway engineers and supported the principle of removing guard-railings. They stated that local authorities would have a strong defence against any litigation because it could be argued that railings create danger by encouraging people to climb over them to cross the road, and they lead to people gathering at narrow crossing points, increasing the risk of someone being pushed into the traffic.
Removing the guard-railing and other unnecessary paraphernalia reduced the accident rate, resulted in maintenance cost savings, promoted pedestrian freedom, and created a more beautiful environment that regenerated the high street.