Bedford Driving Lessons

The proposals are among a number of measures in a blueprint drawn up by the Government and highway engineers. But removing the kerbs in order to create shared space between motorists and pedestrians could pose a safety risk, according to Guide Dogs for the Blind. Stripping out or lowering kerbs are part of a drive to strip out urban clutter which could also see barriers uprooted, signs removed and even yellow lines erased. They are contained in a document known as Manual for Streets 2, guidance sent out to local authorities, which has been revised for the first time in more than three decades. “On the whole we have designed our high streets with the free flow of traffic and a certain view of what constitutes a safe environment in mind,” said John Dales a traffic engineer and urban designer and one of the authors of the report. “What that has meant is we have forgotten why people want to be there in the first place and pedestrians have got a raw deal. “They can only cross the road where engineers deem it safe to do so. They are herded and often penned in like sheep, supposedly for their own safety. “In addition trying to keep the traffic flowing has led to a proliferation of signs and lines, many of which are unnecessary. “It means that our high streets are disfigured by clutter which doesn’t have to be there. More