Response to Recovery

STAY ALERT / CONTROL THE VIRUS / SAVE LIVES

RESPONSE TO RECOVERY MANAGING THE TRANSITION FROM COVID-19

SECTION ONE: CORONAVIRUS IMPACTS ON THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY

Changing Travel Patterns

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically transformed travel patterns and led to a temporary shift in the demands placed on our public highway network. The current ‘lockdown’ measures imposed by the UK government are likely to be eased in a transitional manner over coming months, with social distancing restrictions remaining in place for an extended period. This continually evolving situation compels Highway Authorities to consider a range of strategies to facilitate safe and efficient movement, maintain social distancing and support the renewal of economic activity in a post ‘lockdown’ environment.

Reduced demand for public transport

Social distancing regulations

Potential for modal shift

Managing the Transition from Response to Recovery

Highway Authorities will play a key role in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery, prioritising public space for essential activities and implementing measures that enable people to thrive in the ‘new normal’. Many cities across the world are temporarily reallocating road space to better reflect current usage patterns and enable social distancing regulations to be observed. This includes a range of ‘healthy streets’ initiatives such as exercise zones and improved local infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling in order to reduce crowding on public transport. The long term impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the highway network remains uncertain. Developments in technology, the emergence of a remote working culture, changing patterns of consumer behaviour and transport modal shift may contribute to more permanent changes to the public realm. Therefore, in addition to the implementation of temporary measures, the current situation provides Highway Authorities with an opportunity to test solutions that could deliver long term environmental benefits and expedite the UK’s transition towards a low carbon economy.

An Agile Solution for Managing the ‘Post Lockdown’ Public Realm

The current situation demands a flexible approach that is informed by data on changing behaviour patterns, reflects the needs of local communities and can be aligned with Government guidance through each stage of the ‘post lockdown’ transition. The following paper presents a range of measures that may be introduced to support Highway Authorities manage the ‘post lockdown’ public realm in a safe, agile and cost effective manner.

SECTION TWO: TEMPORARY MEASURES

Reshaping the Public Realm to Support COVID-19 Recovery

FM Conway has identified a suite of low cost, safe and rapidly deployable temporary measures designed to support an increase in cycling and pedestrian movement, manage queuing, facilitate social distancing for pedestrians and support a range of ‘healthy streets’ initiatives. The public realm may also be used to provide visual reminders and communicate transitional arrangements on behalf of local authorities.

Increased footway space to maintain social distancing

Introduction of temporary cycle lanes using light segregation

Targeted interventions to create neighbourhood exercise zones

Potential measures to support the transition from ‘lockdown’ to recovery include:

• Re-purpose second traffic lane of roads and/or suspend parking bays and reduce traffic lane widths to create temporary cycle lanes or increased footway space

• Clearly defined pedestrian routes and queuing areas to support effective social distancing

• Reduce speed limits and provide temporary traffic calming to reduce the dominance of vehicular activity

• On roads with parking provided on both sides of the carriageway that cannot be suspended, narrowing lanes can provide central median refuges to assist pedestrians crossing

• Filter streets to stop rat-running and limit through traffic; this can include full closures, one-way filters and time or width restriction filters

• Closing sections of road outside schools where temporary measures could also support general road safety improvements and future school street schemes

• Reduce junction sizes and restrict some turning movements to provide shorter crossings and increased space for footways or cycling

• Targeted road closures where the surrounding infrastructure is already available and local residents and businesses will be accustomed to easily navigating diversions

• Complimentary measures, including de-cluttering to create more usable footway space, provision of temporary cycle stands and innovative signage / road markings to communicate key messages

Practical Deployment of Temporary Measures

The following images show a range of temporary measures implemented by FM Conway in collaboration with local Highway Authorities in a wide variety of situations.

Royal College Street, Camden Cycleway with light segregation using planters and armadillo installations

Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, Westminster Temporary widening of footways to facilitate pedestrian movement during the 2012 Olympics

Pedestrian management, various locations Barrier systems and marshals to facilitate social distancing and enable businesses to operate safely

Communication - signs and roadmarkings, various locations Innovative use of the public highway to communicate key messages

Innovations from the Olympic Route Network, London Temporary signs peels and tape road markings to manage network transitions efficiently

SECTION THREE: FM CONWAY CAPABILITY STATEMENT

Proven ‘End-to-End’ Solution

FM Conway’s proven end-to-end solution builds upon our experience designing, implementing and maintaining complex traffic management across London and the South East, including a range of innovative temporary measures introduced to support the 2012 Olympics. Our collaborative approach ensures the seamless delivery of temporary changes to the highway network from integrated design and implementation through to carefully managed transitions, ongoing marshalling and 24/7 maintenance of measures on site.

Design Services

Leveraging the expertise of our in-house consultancy, FM Conway is able to draw upon our extensive local knowledge to rapidly develop design information to the optimal level of detail based on the complexity of each scheme. Our team has the capability to draft temporary and experimental traffic orders, facilitate Road Safety Audits at short notice to accelerate delivery and develop detailed operational sequencing plans to coordinate each transition. This streamlined approach provides local authorities, transport operators and land owners with an efficient and cost effective model of service delivery.

Multi-disciplinary design capability

Traffic orders and road safety audits

Operational sequencing plans

Bespoke Signage

The recent expansion of our in-house traffic sign manufacturing capability provides clients with a complete range of signs produced to order. In addition to standard Chapter 8 compliant signage, FM Conway’s bespoke sign manufacturing capability will support local authorities to communicate changes to the highway network and reinforce social distancing messages. We maintain a stock of mobile Variable Message Signs with built in CCTV cameras and our team has direct access to the latest sensor technology for monitoring and data collection purposes (GDPR compliant).

SECTION THREE: FM CONWAY CAPABILITY STATEMENT

Implementation

Our 2,500 strong local workforce includes construction teams skilled in the rapid deployment of temporary measures ranging from ‘stick down’ kerbs and pavement build outs through to temporary (taped or painted) road markings, lane separator bollards and a range of pedestrian and vehicular barrier systems. FM Conway’s traffic management personnel are qualified in accordance with National Highways Sector Scheme 12 A, B and D to enable the deployment of measures on all types of road network ranging from densely populated urban environments through to high speed strategic routes.

Rapid installation of measures

Integrated delivery teams

Trained pedestrian marshals

Operation and 24 / 7 Maintenance

Our team of qualified traffic marshals is trained to manage pedestrian movement and support local authorities maintain social distancing in accordance with government regulations. An effective planned, reactive and emergency maintenance regime is vital to the success of temporary measures and FM Conway maintains a 24/7 presence on the network, supported by our dedicated Operations Control Room to monitor temporary installations, manage emergency situations and coordinate access to contingency resources.

Reinstatement and Legacy

As part of the decommissioning process, FM Conway will reinstate the network to the desired layout, carefully removing temporary installations and using our state-of-the-art hydroblasting technology to minimise carriageway scarring and avoid damage to existing highway assets. Ongoing monitoring of schemes against defined success criteria may also lead to the retention of temporary measures, providing a long term legacy for the local community.

FM CONWAY LTD Conway House Vestry Road Sevenoaks TN14 5EL

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01732 600 700

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@fmconwayltd

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www.fmconway.co.uk

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