Self-explaining environments

Develop the road or street environment so that it intuitively indicates to road and street users how they should behave, such as what appropriate speed they should drive at, which modes have priority and where space has been dedicated for people staying.

Benefits

• In urban areas, greatly improves amenity and character for people staying in the area and walking to shops and services along the road
• On streets, encourages vehicles to slow down matching desired speed to the level of adjacent activity
• In main road environments, helps to create a predicable level of roadside activity and reduces the cognitive load on road users in a higher speed environment

Considerations

• A road or street may consist of several typologies along its length and each should be designed accordingly

Reference

TfNSW Guide

TS 01592 Beyond the Pavement, principle eight

Example

Barrenjoey Road at Newport has a reduced speed limit and compatible increase in the footpath area. Planting reinforces the change. The centre continues to serve buses which pass through, connecting Palm Beach to the Sydney CBD. This location is also characterised by the Norfolk Island Pines which line the path, providing shade and contributing to the area's distinct identity.

Details

Location:

Barrenjoey Road, Newport between The Boulevard and Coles Parade

Agency responsible:

TfNSW/Northern Beaches Council

Application

Local streets		Main streets
Residential lane		Destination high street
Residential way		Transit street
Yield street		Connector avenue
Neighbourhood street		Arterial high street
Connector street		Transit arterial
Urban centre street
Enterprise street

Main roads		Civic spaces
Transit only corridor		Civic high street
Rural link		Transit mall
Rural highway		Civic lane
Secondary arterial		Service lane
Principal arterial
Motorway

Legend

	Appropriate treatment
	Use with caution
	Inappropriate treatment
	Not applicable