SAFETY ASPECTS WITHIN THE TOWN

The safety aspect of sustainable transport policies Sustainable transport policies are applied in the new town. These aim to reduce the need for travel by encouraging local facility provision and local jobs and to provide increased modal choice for travellers and more accessibility instead of mobility while reducing transport-related emissions (Greed & Roberts 1998). The policies encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport. The burning of fuel in internal combustion engines leads to emissions which are damaging to the health of people locally and to the health of the global ecosystem. Levels of pollution are reduced by the use of sustainable transport policies. These aim to create an attractive convenient, safe pedestrian environment and to reduce reliance on car and its perceived attractiveness when compared with other modes. A decrease in car use leads to a decrease in car crashes. Where the pedestrian environment is attractive and feels safe, people walk more. Also, people usually feel more confident when there are other people around. With more people on the streets, local facilities tend to become more viable and access to facilities is improved. Elements of design which have been considered such as road widths, sight lines and curbs have important safety implications and impact on the aesthetics of the environment. Speeds are policed by design in the new town, for example, smaller road widths and curvature sightlines reduce the speeds of motor vehicles leading to enhanced safety. The propensity to walk and cycle is affected by local planning and design. The quality of pedestrian and cycling provision is a significant factor. Thus a sustainable transport strategy has been applied which involves procuring a network of footways linking all the main activities and public transport facilities ensuring a safe and secure pedestrian environment. Pedestrian routes have been designed to be convenient and attractive. Subways are used by the pedestrians to move across main roads safely in the presence of security guards. Guardrails are used along the streets to prevent traffic intimidation. Prominent pedestrian access points in terms of signage, lighting and gradient are provided in the town. Routes from houses to local facilities, especially shops, schools and bus stops, are as direct and pleasant as possible.

The quality of pedestrian access (for example in terms of safety and aesthetics) is a determining factor in some peoples decision whether to walk or not. Safety from traffic is improved by effective traffic calming in the new town. Also a feeling of security is helped by appropriate design and footpaths that are effectively policed by nearby residents. Threatening features such as thick shrubbery are avoided on the pathway. Streets in the new town are designed to be safe and enjoyable for the movement of people with prams, small children, the elderly and those with impaired vision or mobility. The provision of a network of convenient cycle routes and a safe cycling environment is brought about by reducing the speed of traffic on multi-purpose roads and by dedicated facilities. Cyclists prefer to take the routes that provide direct access and this is normally the road. Thus general purpose streets are designed so as to be bicycle friendly. Separate lanes or paths are provided where there is potential conflict with motor traffic. The gradients and surfaces of routes are designed for comfortable cycling in the new town and the routes are kept clean and well maintained. Use of bicycles by commuters is significantly affected by trip-end provision, for example, at local authority offices. Bike parks or secure workplace sheds that protect from theft and rain are well linked to the routes. In the new town, effective public transport services are provided, giving general priority over other traffic and access to the heart of areas of high demand and ensuring good interchange between different services and with pedestrian/cycling networks. Traffic management in the new town are aimed not at speeding up traffic (with consequent increased danger/intimidation to other road users), nor at slowing traffic down (with resulting stop/start conditions, increased energy use and emissions) but rather at achieving a modest but steady pace. Traffic-calmed areas and lower overall capacity ensures a slow but steady pace of traffic, thus improving conditions for other road users such as cyclists and pedestrians as well as deterring car use. Traffic calming helps to deter the use of cars and reduce their environmental impact. A lower road capacity for ordinary traffic is the result of positive planning for other modes such as the provision of wider pavements thus ensuring the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. A network having a higher number of access points, to a residential area for instance, keeps the peak vehicle flows to a minimum. Traffic is distributed more evenly throughout the layout.

Routes tend to be more direct, with higher amenity and safety for cyclists and pedestrians. The roads can thus be narrower which causes speeds to be reduced and hence increasing the level of safety. Crime prevention The combinations of certain physical features such as poor lighting, obscured corners and lack of natural surveillance can offer greater opportunities for abuses of power: violence, harassment, robbery or assault, which are usually directed at women or people perceived as being weaker than the abuser. The improvement in the physical environment can, in certain circumstances, lead to decreased incidence of crime and personal attacks. Natural surveillance and adequate lighting is used in the new town for this purpose. By improving natural surveillance of shared land and facilities of nearby residents by literally increasing the number of people who can see it, and increasing the familiarity of residents as a collective, residents can more easily detect undesirable or criminal behaviour (Wikipedia 2010). According to a study carried out (Painter 1989 cited in Greed & Roberts 1998), improved lighting results in a significant decrease in womens fear of going out at night. Surveillance cameras are also provided so as to improve the feeling of security. Many people, particularly women, the elderly and people from ethnic minorities, live in constant fear for their safety. These people tend to avoid using certain areas and impose their own curfews. Certain planned environments produce criminogenic side effects and are avoided in the new town. Single-use zoning methods, for instance, result in various parts of the urban areas being unoccupied at certain times of the day or week. Residential areas can be underused by day and retail areas deserted at night. This can lead to burglaries being committed during daytime and commercial break-ins during the night or at weekends. Therefore, mixed use development is encouraged in the new town to ensure safety. Other examples are traffic/pedestrian segregation schemes which provide more opportune locations for street crime and offender escape routes. In the town the footways are next to the roads but are protected from the traffic by guardrails. Also, commercial/leisure areas with concentrations of pubs and clubs exponentially increase the risk of certain types of crime or antisocial activity particularly those which are due to alcohol consumption. These concentrations have been avoided in the town.

Crime prevention through environmental design has been widely promoted as a cure. A system of defensible spaces designed to encourage householders to supervise and take on responsibility for the areas in which they lived can lead to lower crime rates (Newman 1973 cited in Greed & Roberts 1998). This concept is used in the new town. If an intruder can sense a watchful community, he feels less secure committing his crime (Wikipedia 2010). There are four factors that make a defensible space: 1. Territoriality the idea that one's home is sacred 2. Natural surveillance the link between an area's physical characteristics and the residents' ability to see what is happening 3. Image the capacity of the physical design to impart a sense of security 4. Milieu other features that may affect security, such as proximity to a police substation or busy commercial area http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensible_space_%28environmental_design%29 December 2010] Criminality can be controlled with structures designed from theories such as socio-architecture or environmental determinism. These theories say that an urban environment can influence individuals' obedience to social rules and level of power. According to the theories psychological pressure develops in more densely developed, unadorned areas. This stress causes crimes and use of illegal drugs. The antidote is usually more individual space and better and more beautiful design in place of functionalism (lack of ornamentation). These are applied in the new town. A high-quality, cared-for environment will encourage respect for that environment and its users while harsh, fortified and neglected environments may reinforce fear and actual risk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planning#Safety [Accessed 15 December 2010] [Accessed 17

General safety aspects with respect to fire Several precautions have to be taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury or property damage. Fire safety measures may include the following: Placing and maintaining fire extinguishers in easily accessible places. As a rule of thumb one fire extinguisher should be available for every 200 m2 in a building or on each floor. Providing smoke detectors, sprinkler systems or other specific equipment in buildings. Maintaining proper fire exits and proper exit signage (for example, exit signs that can function in a power failure). Areas near the fire exits should be kept clear of obstructions and materials which can catch fire. Providing one or more escape routes. If there is only one escape route, it has to be fireresisting. The travel distance to the escape route should be as short as possible and not greater than 18 m. This distance can be longer (up to about 25 m) where the chance of a fire starting or spreading quickly is very low, or shorter (12 m or less) where there is a high chance of a fire starting or spreading quickly. Maintaining fire alarm systems for detection and warning of fire. Properly storing or using hazardous materials that may be needed inside a building. Periodically inspecting buildings for violations and prosecuting or closing buildings that are not in compliance, until the deficiencies are corrected. Ensuring that spray fireproofing (application of intumescent or endothermic paints, or fibrous or cementitious plasters to protect structural steel, electrical or mechancal services and others) remains undamaged. Maintaining a high level of training and awareness among occupants and users of the building concerning fire safety. Conducting fire drills (which involve practicing the evacuation of a building so as to prepare for the event of a fire occurrence) at regular intervals throughout the year. Placing limitations on the quantities of flammables present in particular locations (for example, a limit of 10 litres of gasoline is permitted in a residential dwelling).

 Using passive fire protection measures such as fire-resistant walls, floors, doors, glass, fire dampers (fire-resistive closures within air ducts) and firestops (which are designed to impede the spread of fire through openings) to contain fires or slow the spread. Firewalls are designed to subdivide buildings such that if collapse occurs on one side, this will not affect the other side. Using cable coating (application of fire-retardants to reduce flame spreading on combustible cable jackets). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_safety http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_fire_protection http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/144647.pdf