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Arts scheme to lift town's traffic stranglehold

A pioneering scheme at Ashford in Kent will blur the boundaries between art and engineering to provide innovative solutions to transport and environment issues.

Following the Communities and Local Government's (formerly ODPM's) Sustainable Communities Plan 2003, Ashford is now identified as one of the major growth areas in the South East. With the current population of 55,000 expected to double over the next twenty-five years, and an extra 31,000 homes and 28,000 jobs to be provided by 2031, new solutions to the problem of sustainable town growth must be found.

Rather than create a series of 'satellite' villages around Ashford, a policy of 'mend before extend' aims to unite a town divided by a four-lane one-way ring road built in the 1970s. Creating a barrier between communities and isolating the historic town centre, the road is also untenable for pedestrians and cyclists.

As a result of these issues, and after thorough consultation with Ashford locals, Kent County Council is taking the unprecedented step of removing the ring road in its present state, replacing it with a two-way 'quality street' jointly designed by sculptors, artists and engineers. This scheme is financed primarily by Communities and Local Government with a Phase One budget of £11.3m.

Based on the concept of Shared Space, which has been successfully implemented on the continent and is set to transform London's Exhibition Road by 2009, a greater balance between the needs of pedestrians and motorists will be achieved.

Unnecessary street furniture and road markings will be removed and the speed limit decreased to enable better communication between all road users, while engaging schemes, such as a way-marking tracery of water channels, musical stepping stones, south facing terraces and other landscaped areas will enhance the street-level environment. Artists will transform space claimed back from the highway into public areas for recreation and events.

Such proposals will not only breathe life back into the heart of Ashford, but reduce the number of road traffic incidents (figures suggest that shared space schemes can reduce accidents by up to 47 per cent over 3 years, compared with around 35 per cent with more conventional plans) and enhance the environment. At Ashford, the integrated design team are looking at ways of reducing the scheme's impact on the natural world, from the sheer drop in the number of road users to the possibility of powering street lamps through wind turbines. Part of the success of the project will hang on a reduction in overall traffic passing through the town, through increased use of public transport and an emphasis on cycling, resulting in lower pollution levels.

Richard Stubbings, KCC Champion for the scheme, told Sapling.info:

“Our thinking for this project is that roads no longer simply lead to places; they are places in themselves. The Ashford scheme will make sure that our streets are not only functional, but also an important part of the public realm: places where communities can gather, socialise and play. We feel we are creating a benchmark for some universal issues that growing towns face.”

Graham Roberts of RKL Consultants who devised the artist's involvement added:

“Ashford will be an expression of the power of the integrated design team approach. Artists and engineers are working together to provide a functional road scheme within a creatively designed environment”.

The Lost O

To mark the transformation of the ring road, a programme of temporary art installations, The Lost O, devised by artist Michael Pinsky, has been commissioned to run during the course of the project. Set to come to a peak when Ashford plays host to the Tour de France in July 2007, specific artists from the UK, North America and Europe, have been chosen to reflect the town's international position as a bridge between Paris and London. The project has been part-funded by The Art Plus Award Scheme for Art in Public Places, which develops skills in the region to commission and deliver public art of the highest quality, celebrating the place of art and artists in improving the environment. It is a joint initiative by Arts Council England, South East and South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

Published at Sapling.info: December 2006

Michael Pinsky [external link]
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