Highway Design
Highway Design for New Developments and Planning Applications
DW Transportation provides practical highway design services to support new developments, from initial access and junction concepts through to detailed highway layouts and works required through the planning process.
DW Transportation provides practical highway design services to support new developments, from initial access and junction concepts through to detailed highway layouts and improvements required through the planning process.
Our highway design work is closely integrated with our transport planning advice. This allows access, visibility, servicing, pedestrian movement and other highway considerations to be incorporated into the development layout at an early stage, rather than addressed once the design has already been fixed.
Whether you are assessing the feasibility of a development site, preparing a planning application or responding to Highway Authority comments, we can help develop practical highway solutions appropriate to the scale and nature of the development.
Development Access Design
A suitable means of access is fundamental to the feasibility of many development sites.
DW Transportation can advise on the location and design of new or altered vehicle accesses, taking account of the proposed development, characteristics of the existing highway and applicable design guidance.
This can include consideration of junction geometry, access width, kerb radii, visibility, pedestrian provision and the movement of cars, service vehicles, refuse vehicles and other relevant design vehicles.
Where several access options are available, early assessment can help identify the most appropriate solution before the wider development layout is progressed.
Junction Design
New developments can require the creation of new junctions or alterations to existing highway arrangements.
DW Transportation can develop junction layouts appropriate to the development and surrounding highway network, including priority junctions and other access arrangements.
The design process can consider traffic movements, vehicle speeds, visibility requirements, pedestrian and cycle movements and the type and frequency of vehicles expected to use the junction.
Where appropriate, swept path analysis can be used alongside the highway design to demonstrate that the proposed geometry can accommodate the relevant vehicles.
Highway Improvement Schemes
Planning applications can sometimes require improvements to the existing highway network.
These might arise from the transport assessment of the development, discussions with the Highway Authority or the need to improve pedestrian, cycle or vehicle access to the site.
DW Transportation can prepare highway improvement concepts and drawings to support planning applications and discussions with Highway Authorities.
Depending on the development, improvements might include alterations to junctions, new or widened footways, pedestrian crossing facilities, changes to accesses or other works required to integrate the development with the surrounding highway network.
Visibility Splays
Achieving appropriate visibility is an important consideration when designing new accesses and junctions.
DW Transportation can assess the visibility requirements for a development having regard to the characteristics of the road, vehicle speeds and applicable design guidance.
Visibility splays can then be incorporated into the highway design and development layout, allowing any implications for site boundaries, landscaping or other features to be identified at an early stage.
Where necessary, traffic speed surveys can be commissioned to provide an appropriate evidence base for determining visibility requirements.
Pedestrian and Cycle Infrastructure
Highway design for new development is not limited to vehicle access.
Development proposals increasingly need to demonstrate safe and convenient connections for pedestrians and cyclists, both within the site and between the development and the surrounding network.
DW Transportation can advise on and prepare designs for footway connections, pedestrian crossing facilities, cycle connections and other improvements required to support access by sustainable modes of travel.
Considering these connections early can also help ensure that pedestrian and cycle requirements are properly integrated into the development rather than added later in the planning process.
Parking, Servicing and Internal Layouts
The relationship between the highway and the internal development layout is often critical to whether a scheme functions successfully.
DW Transportation can review and advise on parking layouts, service areas, turning facilities and internal vehicle circulation to ensure that the proposed arrangements are practical.
This can include consideration of refuse collection, deliveries, emergency access and other servicing requirements.
Swept path analysis can be undertaken where necessary to demonstrate how the relevant vehicles will enter, manoeuvre within and leave the development.
Swept Path Analysis
Vehicle tracking is frequently an important part of the highway design process.
DW Transportation uses swept path analysis to test proposed access arrangements, junctions, parking areas, loading areas and internal layouts against appropriate design vehicles.
This allows potential conflicts or geometric constraints to be identified while the design can still be amended.
Swept path analysis can be undertaken for a wide range of vehicles, including refuse vehicles, delivery vehicles, articulated HGVs, fuel tankers, buses and emergency vehicles.
Highway Design During the Planning Process
Highway design requirements can evolve as a planning application progresses.
A Highway Authority may request amendments to an access, additional pedestrian infrastructure, changes to parking or servicing arrangements or further information demonstrating how a proposed layout will operate.
DW Transportation can review Highway Authority comments, advise on their implications and prepare revised highway proposals where necessary.
Our involvement can therefore continue from initial feasibility through the planning application and, where required, into the discharge of highway-related planning conditions.
Section 278 and Other Highway Works
Where development requires works within the adopted highway, separate technical approval and legal agreements may be necessary in addition to planning permission.
More substantial highway improvement works are commonly delivered through a Section 278 Agreement, while new or altered vehicle crossings and other works may be subject to different approval procedures depending on the relevant Highway Authority.
DW Transportation can assist with the development of highway proposals and liaison with the Highway Authority as schemes progress towards technical approval.
The precise process will depend on the nature of the works and the requirements of the relevant Highway Authority.
Why Consider Highway Design Early?
Highway constraints can have a significant influence on the overall development layout.
An access that cannot achieve appropriate visibility, insufficient space for a refuse vehicle to turn or a pedestrian connection that cannot be accommodated can require significant changes if identified late in the design process.
Early highway input allows these issues to be considered while the development layout remains flexible.
This is particularly valuable at the feasibility and pre-application stages, where relatively small changes to access positions, building locations or internal circulation can avoid much more difficult problems later.
Good highway design starts before the planning application is submitted.
Why Choose DW Transportation?
DW Transportation combines highway design with practical development planning experience.
This means we consider not only whether a highway arrangement can be drawn, but how it will function as part of the development and how it is likely to be considered through the planning process.
We work closely with architects, developers and planning consultants to develop proportionate highway solutions that respond to the particular requirements of each site.
Our involvement can range from an initial access feasibility review or a single highway drawing through to ongoing highway design and transport planning support throughout a planning application.
Need Highway Design Advice?
If you are considering a new development, preparing a planning application or responding to Highway Authority requirements, DW Transportation can provide practical advice on access, junctions, visibility, vehicle movements and associated highway improvements.
Contact us to discuss your development and highway design requirements.