4.2 Street typologies

The following street types provide a framework for planning development layouts in Surrey. They are based on the National Model Design Code street types, with additional sub categories, and adjusted for Surrey’s context.

Street types should be determined by the importance of their place and movement functions, not their desired capacity or design speed. The decision on street typology should be a collective decision with designers, planners, transport engineers and the local community. It must not be the sole decision of transport engineers.

Type 1: Primary streets

The highest order street in the network, these are primary arterials designed to take through traffic and public transport.

Primary streets (1) should be split into the following sub-categories depending on location.

Type 1(a) - Movement only function. Trunk road, arterial roads and bypasses with no place function.

Primary Streets (1a Link Roads / Bypasses) should be designed to DMRB and are outside the scope of this document.

Primary Streets (1a Link Roads / Bypasses) should only be used in very specific circumstances as shown in figure 4-1.

Type 1(b) - Avenue. Tree lined primary street on the edge of towns that includes pavements and cycle lanes.

Avenues (1b) should accommodate buildings and allow future intensification and development.

Trees could be provided in a central reservation of Avenues (1b) as well as on the footway.

Parking may also be provided centrally on Avenues (1b).

Design speeds will be lower on Avenues (1b) than the trunk road network, with a recommended maximum of 30mph.

Conventional DMRB standard roundabouts must not be used on Avenues (1b).

Avenues (1b) can transition to a High Street typology in an urban setting, including village centres. This transition is important and will need careful design to encourage speed and behaviour change between the typologies. This could be achieved by bringing in the building line, splitting the carriageway, or through other gateway features.

Type 1 Primary Streets. Precedent Images. Type 1(a) - Movement only function - Figure 4-2: Typical link road, Kent (Credit - David Anstiss CC BY-SA 2.0)

Type 1 Primary Streets. Precedent Images. Type 1(b) - Avenue. Figure 4-3: Peverell Avenue, Poundbury (Credit - Andy Cameron)

Type 1 Primary Streets. Precedent Images. Type 1(b) - Primary streets - avenue. Typical Layout Diagram (not to scale). Figure 4-4: Typical Layout Diagram - Type 1 (b) - Primary streets – Avenue

Type 1 Primary Streets. Precedent Images. Type 1(b) - Primary streets - avenue. Precedent Images. Typical cross section. Figure 4-5: Typical cross section - Type 1(b) - Primary streets

Type 2: High streets

The main business street of a town, normally with the highest density. Will typically have shops and businesses on the ground floor with flats or offices above, often with public spaces. It can have on-street parking.

Design speed of a high street must be a maximum of 20mph. It is important to move away from thinking of these streets in terms of a regular cross section, something which is difficult to achieve when using highway alignment design software. Instead aim to create more irregular, organic forms that provide space for different activities. We distinguish three variants of high street.

Type 2(a) - High activity or arterial (through route). A formalised layout with pavements, cycle lanes, parking, trees and planting. The overall width will vary, determined by building scale (enclosure) and need for public space.

The width should vary along the length of a High Street (2a. High Activity / Arterial) allowing the space to open up into squares and form junctions with Secondary streets.

The carriageway of a High Street (2a. High Activity / Arterial) can split to create island buildings and space: this arrangement is common in market towns, such as Reigate, and help create terminating views and gateways.

Irregularity helps define the street as a different type of space.

Type 2(b) - Low traffic. A more informal arrangement without separate cycle lanes. The pedestrian or wheelchair user ’comes first’ in these streets. Vehicles are a guest. Low traffic streets will have the same spatial characteristics as above with the opportunity to create squares and public space.

Type 2(c) - Traffic free. Pedestrian only, with potential service-access allowed at certain times. The minimum width may need to allow for vehicles, taking into account any protruding signs and overhangs, but otherwise the width is determined by building scale, the need for public space and the need for overspill areas for shops and cafes, such as seating and displays.

Type 2 – High streets. Precedent Images. Type 2(a) – Arterial or high activity. Figure 4-6: Chiswick High Road (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 2 – High streets. Precedent Images. Type 2(b) – Low traffic. Figure 4-7: Guildford, Surrey (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 2 – High streets. Precedent Images. Type 2(b) – Low traffic. Figure 4-8: Rochester, Kent (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 2 – High streets. Precedent Images. Type 2(c) – Traffic free. Figure 4-9: Tunsgate, Guildford (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 2 – High streets. Type 2(a) - High streets - Arterial or high activity. Typical Layout Diagram (not to scale). Figure 4-10: Typical Layout Diagram - Type 2(a) - High Streets - Arterial High Activity

Type 2 – High streets. Type 2(a) - High streets - Arterial or high activity. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-11: Typical cross section - Type 2(a) - High Streets - Arterial or High Activity

Type 2 – High streets. Type 2(b) - High streets – low traffic. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-12: Typical cross section Type 2(b) - High Streets – Low Traffic

Type 2 – High streets. Type 2(c) – High streets – traffic free. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-13: Typical cross section -Type 2(c) - High Streets – No Traffic

Type 3: Secondary streets

These normally link to Primary Streets or High Streets and provide access to neighbourhood streets, such as Local streets and residential mews. Secondary streets can accommodate shops and retail space. They can also be good locations for cafés and restaurants as well as community facilities such as schools, health service and community centres. The characteristics of the street, such as carriageway width, enclosure, and junction spacing will be used to lower speeds. While similar in appearance to Local streets (Type 4) they serve a different function, connecting Local streets to Primary streets, and will have higher traffic flows.

Type 3 – Secondary streets. Precedent Images. Figure 4-14: Chapelton, Aberdeenshire (Credit - Andy Cameron).

Type 3 – Secondary streets. Precedent Images. Figure 4-15: Hounslow, London (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 3 – Secondary streets. Precedent Images. Figure 4-16: Poundbury, Dorset (Credit - Andy Cameron)

Type 3 – Secondary streets. Typical Layout Diagram (not to scale). Figure 4-17: Typical Layout Diagram – Type 3 – Secondary streets

Type 3 – Secondary streets. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-18: Typical cross section – Type 3 – Secondary streets.

Type 4 - Local streets

These will probably form most of the streets within the network.

Local streets (4) should be attractive places to live and safe and convenient places to walk and cycle. They should accommodate low levels of slow traffic. Filtering may be necessary to reduce through running on these streets while maintaining a conventional grid pattern with good connectivity. The carriageway does not need to be wide enough to allow vehicles to pass.

The junction between Secondary streets and Local streets can be good locations for small local centres and amenities.

Type 4 – Local streets. Precedent Images. Figure 4-19: Goldsmith Street, Norwich (Credit - Create Streets).

Type 4 – Local streets. Precedent Images. Figure 4-20: Derwenthorpe, York (Credit - Andy Cameron).

Type 4 – Local streets. Precedent Images. Figure 4-21: Nansledan, Cornwall (Credit - Create Streets).

Type 4 – Local streets. Typical Layout Diagram (not to scale). Figure4-22: Typical Layout Diagram – Type 4 – Local streets.

Type 4 – Local streets. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-23: Typical cross section – Type 4 – Local streets.

Type 5: Tertiary streets

These are minor streets that may perform a variety of functions: some only provide access to homes, some have both movement and access functions and some have commercial uses.

Tertiary streets (5) can link to secondary or Local streets or sometimes to high streets.

Type 5(a) – Shopping alley. Short, pedestrian-only mews or alley lined with shops and other commercial uses in town centre settings. A more informal space, wide enough to allow overspill from shops or cafes while maintaining a good enclosure ratio.

Shopping alleys (5a) can provide through routes for pedestrians, linking key streets (mews or alley), or be closed off (courts).

Type 5(b) – Residential mews or back streets. A narrow road lined by homes, often to the rear of large houses, using a level surface with no pavements.

Residential mews or back streets (5b) may need to be filtered if through access is provided.

Communal bin storage preferred on Residential mews or back streets (5b) so that refuse vehicle access is not required.

A narrow strip of private land can be included on Residential mews or back streets (Type 5(b)) to accommodate foundations, drainage, etc, but this should have the same appearance as the public street surface.

Type 5(c) – Rural lanes. They may not have separate footpath or street lighting and may have constrained vehicular access, depending on local character.

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Precedent Images. Type 5(a) – Shopping alley. Figure 4-24: Shopping lane, Richmond (Credit - Mark Shepherd)

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Precedent Images. Type 5(a) – Shopping alley. Figure 4-25: Shopping lane in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Precedent Images. Type 5(b) – Residential Mews. Figure 4-26: Residential mews / backstreets: The Hague, Netherlands (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Type 5(b) – Residential mews. Figure 4-27: Residential mews: Accordia, Cambridge (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Type 5(b) – Residential mews. Figure 4-28: Residential mews: Ware, Hertfordshire (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Type 5(c) – Rural lane. Figure 4-29: Rural Lane, Oxfordshire (Credit - Create Streets)

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Type 5(b) – Tertiary streets - residential mews. Typical Layout Diagram (not to scale). Figure 4-30: Typical Layout Diagram - Type 5(b) – Tertiary Streets - Residential Mews

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-31: Typical cross section - Type 5(a) – Tertiary Streets - Shopping Alley.

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-32: Typical cross section - Type 5(b) – Tertiary Streets - Residential Mews.

Type 5 – Tertiary streets. Typical cross section (not to scale). Figure 4-33: Typical cross section Type 2(c) – Tertiary Streets – Rural Lanes.