Traditionally roads have been primarily designed to facilitate the movement of wheeled traffic. Pedestrians have been treated almost as an afterthought with footway widths made substandard in order to accommodate traffic lanes and kerbside parking space. Many road junctions controlled by traffic signals do not include a phase to allow pedestrians to cross the road because traffic engineers deduced that it would result in unacceptable delays to motorised traffic. Formal crossings are not provided where pedestrians want to cross because it is deemed to be unsafe. A classic example is the lack of formal crossings at roundabouts and mini-roundabouts.

 

Attitudes are changing, highway design guidance now places pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the priority hierarchy, and a new rule was added to the highway code in 2022 that states that pedestrians have priority over motor vehicles when crossing side roads. In spite of this, many road layouts in the UK are simply not pedestrian-friendly even in areas where an attractive pedestrian space would be beneficial, such as a shopping high street or quiet residential streets. Able-bodied pedestrians may be able to negotiate these settings but it is the most vulnerable such as elderly people, people with mobility impairment, mothers with push chairs and children who are disadvantaged in areas with substandard pedestrian provision.