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External environments fact sheet

5.2 Street furniture

Design criteria

The Code of Practice recommends the following:

Items of street furniture should be regularly spaced with a minimum of 1800mm between groups of obstacles
The colour of street furniture should contrast with surrounding objects to assist visually impaired people
A change in surface texture immediately around items of street furniture can assist blind and partially sighted people
Lamps and signs should be mounted on walls wherever possible
Overhead projections such as canopies and shop signs should have a minimum clearance of 2500mm above ground level
Litter bins should be a minimum of 1100mm high and should have a consistent width to ground level
Bollards should be a minimum of 1000mm high so that the obstruction is at waist rather than knee level. They should also have a colour contrasting band to help those with visual impairments
Seating should be provided at frequent intervals. The most favoured seat is the standard park bench type with an upright back, arm rests and a seating height of 450-480mm
Bus shelters with glass or transparent panels should have logos or contrasting colours on the panels and should be illuminated to assist visibility in the dark
Overhanging tree branches should be trimmed to at least 3000mm clear height to allow some room for regrowth
Where possible, all street furniture, especially bollards and columns, should have a 150mm minimum contrasting band of colour to assist visually impaired people
In residential areas, where for the most part the only street furniture consists of lighting columns and street name plates, these should be located at the back of the footway as close to the highway boundary as
possible giving due consideration to the amenities of the adjacent residents
Lighting should be sited clear of trees and other obstructions which would cast shadows and obstruct the light output
Guard rails should be open topped as standard in all locations where they separate pedestrians from a carriageway and Visi Rail patent rail with staggered vertical bars or similar should be used at vulnerable
locations such as adjacent to crossing points
Cycle stands and the surrounding area should be defined for the benefit of blind and partially sighted people by the use of guard railings or a tactile corduroy pattern paving surface indication
Advertising 'A' boards and the display of goods for sale on the footway are not allowed. If they do pose a dangerous obstruction, a formal notice may be issued to the offender and this could lead to prosecution
under Section 149 of the Highways Act 1980.

Street furniture, Diagram showing section of street, Diagram showing section of street

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