Stockport

Home Zones the the name for neighbourhoods where streets give priority to pedestrians, pets and cyclists. The Home Zone concept was developed in the Netherlands and has been welcomed in the UK and other European countries.  You can read up about existing Home Zone schemes in the UK on www.homezones.org.

Home Zones are always developed in close co-operation with the community. Most communities also help maintain their Zone.  The Children's Play Council has been promoting Home Zones for some years, with support from Transport 2000, the Child Accident Prevention Trust, Sustrans, Friends of the Earth and many others.    

Home Zones work through the physical alteration of streets.  They force motorists to drive with great care - and at low speeds. Street lay-out makes it obvious that everyone has a share in the space.  Assorted benches, flower beds, mini play areas, lamp posts, fences and trees, which are often used to alter the appearance of Home Zone streets, yield many additional community benefits, including the enhanced appearance of the neighbourhood and increased property prices.

Any shape or feature, really, that will 'naturally' encourage drivers to slow down, to recognize the needs of pedestrians or cyclists.  One town in Germany removed all road-markings in town because research had shown that the absence of clear signage causes drivers to drive with greater caution. Other examples are zebra crossings, flat-topped road humps, speed cushions, mini-roundabouts, 10mph zones, junction tables, removal of kerbs, changes to the road surface, gateways, road narrowing, permanent road closure,etc.   Here is a BEFORE and AFTER we found earlier, in the town of Milford: