Street Furniture

Street Furniture is a collective term used to describe physical equipment installed on streets or roads. Use street furniture to decorate public spaces, provide increased protection to pedestrians and cyclists or improve the general streetscape aesthetic.

Street furniture can provide physical benefits for a streetscape, such as providing seating places for pedestrians, directing tourists to places of interest, protecting pedestrians from harsh weather and more.

While there are many physical benefits to installing street furniture it can also provide aesthetic benefits. Planters especially can improve how a streetscape looks and can make it more visually appealing. An aesthetically better street will attract more tourists, shoppers and business.

Types of street furniture

Street furniture includes equipment such as –

• Park Benches - used to create seating spaces in public areas, providing comfortable rest areas for pedestrians
• Bus Shelters - protects bus passengers from harsh weather while waiting for their public transport to arrive
• Outdoor Notice Boards - use to display local information to tourists or information for local buildings, such as restaurants
• Litter Bins - provide a means for pedestrians to dispose of rubbish and help to keep streets clean
• Planters - separate cycle lanes from vehicle lanes while using plants and flowers to improve streetscape aesthetic
• Tree Guards - protect trees from impact damage from vehicles
• Traffic Islands - separate vehicle lanes while providing a place for pedestrians to cross roads
• Lamp Post Protectors - protect lampposts from impact damage from vehicles
• Cycle lane separators - provide a physical ground separation of bike lanes and protect cyclists from harm
• Cycle lane bollards - direct cyclist traffic and separate lanes

Benefits of street furniture

• Improve the look and feel of a public space - use street furniture to instantly improve the look of a public space. Make the space more visually appealing to pedestrians.
• Protect pedestrians and cyclists from harm. Use cycle lane bollards and planters to separate vehicles and cyclists. Reduce the risk of traffic accidents.
• Create a streetscape “experience” – encourage more use of the street. Using street furniture makes the street more appealing and thus improves local business.
• Protect trees and greenery in urban environments. Street furniture like tree guards can protect exposed trees from vehicle impact damage.
• Create equal opportunities for young and old to rest and enjoy the space. By providing more facilities the street will benefit all ages.
• Encourage better disposal of litter to preserve the space. Use litter bins to provide a simple means of rubbish disposal. Help the street to remain clean and tidy for all visitors.
• Provide a better overall experience for visitors and tourists. Street furniture will provide a better physical and aesthetic experience.
• Reduce the risk of traffic accidents. Use lane separators to help motorists and cyclist avoid accidents.

Street furniture to improve streetscape aesthetic

One of the primary purposes of street furniture is to improve the aesthetic of public streetscapes. Street furniture can improve the overall look, feel and design of the street. Improving the aesthetic makes it more appealing to pedestrians and can even enhance long-term safety for the street.

Planters will separate bicycles and cars on roadsides. Planters provide physical separation of the lanes while displaying flowers or plants. They can create a subtle means of lane separation while instantly boosting colour and vibrancy to the area.

Park Benches allow for attractive seating in public spaces. Having the benches in place improves the look and feel of an area while providing practical use to pedestrians. For example, a bench will suit a green area, shop front, streetside or public facility setting.

In a public setting, it is ideal for displaying local information where needed. For example, outdoor notice boards can communicate important information to pedestrians, such as local schedules, operating times, bus schedules and more. Individual business premises can also use them to display menus, opening times and more.

Litter bins can assist with better litter collection in public spaces. Having litter bins in place will reduce littering levels. They can also assist council workers with collecting rubbish by having definitive rubbish collection points in the streets. In addition, high-quality litter bins can significantly improve aesthetics and can complement pedestrian orientated areas.

Street furniture to provide better public safety

Street furniture will provide improved safety to pedestrians in public areas. Protect pedestrians from harsh weather or reduce the risk of vehicle collisions.

Bus shelters can cover pedestrians and protect them from harsh weather. Install a bus shelter at public bus collection points or bus parks. The shelters can provide bus passengers with a better place to wait while displaying bus times or general information.

Lamp posts and poles need protection from cars. Use lamp protectors to reduce the risk of impact damage to lamp posts in car parks. The lamppost protectors can be installed around the posts while allowing access should maintenance be required. Bolt down options allow for quick installation, while sub-surface options provide a more permanent fixing.

Trees and greenery are protected using tree guards. Tree guards are steel grills designed to protect the base or trunk of a tree. The open design allows the tree to be maintained while in use.

Use street furniture to reduce traffic accidents on roads

Street furniture can provide increased safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians on public roads. Use street furniture to direct traffic or separate lanes where needed.

A cycle lane separator will highlight cycle lanes to cyclists and motorists. In addition, the separator will provide a visual marker for motorists and reduce the risk of traffic collisions with cyclists.

Combine the separators with cycle lane bollards to increase the cycle lanes' visibility. The cycle lane bollard will bend on impact should it occur, reducing the risk to cyclists. In addition, the bollards can direct vehicles and guide traffic accordingly.

Traffic islands can separate different vehicle lanes from one another. They can be combined with bollards or signage to direct traffic accordingly. They will reduce route confusion for drivers and reduce the risk of collisions.