A new report has indicated that new housing developments in the United Kingdom (UK) are dominated by roads, criticizing planners and engineers.
The report from the from University College London revealed that roads are dominating new housing developments in the UK, with too many highways engineers still approving roads that do not fully account for pedestrians and cyclists.
It follows a government survey which showed an increase in public concern over the impact of cars on people's health and the environment. Results of the survey indicated that 76% of people think that for the sake of the environment, everyone should reduce their driving.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, described the results of the survey as a "big shift in public opinion" which showed the public was "way ahead of politicians on this issue".
The report's author Professor Matthew Carmona said: "Far too many new developments are still all about the car. It’s all about making sure cars don’t need to slow down. Pedestrians and cyclists just have to get out of the way."
Prof. Carmona pointed out: "It’s an approach from the 1960s. We should be allowing people to walk and cycle to get to local facilities instead of having to get out the car every time. But car-dominated developments are still going up."
The report concluded that out of the 142 developments surveyed, almost three quarters should not have been given planning permission while a fifth of the schemes should have been rejected outright, and more than half should have been amended to improve a sense of place and help pedestrians and cyclist.
Carmona added: “Highways authorities are really problematic – they’re all about getting roads as cheap as possible that can be maintained cheaply – that means large areas of tarmac with no regard for walking and cycling."
