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Street Clutter
Vital signs, or just clutter?
Hubert Porte is leading a campaign to reduce what he sees as an unnecessary amount of 'street clutter' in Hereford City Centre.
Take a look through the photos and add your comments. Next time you are in our city centre, see if you think all the signs, posters, bollards, A-frames and adverts are really necessary, or make the city look ugly, harder to navigate (especially for the visually impaired), and less attractive to visitors.
Hubert's article is now posted below.
Take a look through the photos and add your comments. Next time you are in our city centre, see if you think all the signs, posters, bollards, A-frames and adverts are really necessary, or make the city look ugly, harder to navigate (especially for the visually impaired), and less attractive to visitors.
Hubert's article is now posted below.
Latest news
24 Jan 2012
Hubert Porte says our streets are cluttered
13 Oct 2011 - Government announce traffic signs review
26 Aug 2010 - Councils urged to cut street clutter by government
Hubert Porte says our streets are cluttered
13 Oct 2011 - Government announce traffic signs review
26 Aug 2010 - Councils urged to cut street clutter by government
Street Clutter - an article by Hubert Porte
HCS Vice Chair Hubert Porte describes conditions on some Hereford streets as 'squalor' and argues that they are unnecessarily cluttered.
Clutter and squalor on our streets accumulate insidiously. We do not notice them at first, but gradually, they begin to annoy us, until finally we are outraged at the state of our towns and cities.
Much ratepayers money has been spent on Hereford city. 'Mixed' would be a charitable description of the results. Apart from the unnecessary kerbs, Widemarsh Street is vastly improved. The campaign against chewing gum is very welcome and largely successful. We now need prosecution of the owners of badly maintained vehicles, which drop engine oil on the new paving.
Hightown is a dog's dinner. Despite that, it is a comfortable and welcoming space. Its largely 18th century proportions and streetscape are unique and have hardly changed in the last 150 years. These are precious. “Wow !, this is lovely” has been a frequent comment by visitors from other cities on entering Hightown, at least until 2002.
Since 2002 we have seen the erection of twelve overpowering black posts with cameras and lights on the north side of this space. These are entirely out of keeping with the genteel 18th and 19th century frontages, which characterise Hightown. More recently two revolting rectangular boxes have been erected on the west end of Hightown. These declare that it is a pedestrian zone, something we have all known for years, and stand like two obnoxious totems, obstructing the visitor's views of the Old House and westwards of High Street.
We grumble if there are not enough litter bins, but is Hightown with eleven over-provided ? Provided the bins are not allowed to overflow, could we not manage with a smaller number? Besides, they can hardly be described as beautiful or tasteful.
Six public telephone boxes – two of the old red variety – are too many in this space, or indeed anywhere, considering how little they are used.
Benches and cycle racks are welcome, but their arrangement is not ideal.
As to shopfronts, A-boards, signage and general maintenance of buildings, there is still much improvement needed. Weeds growing two storeys up the frontage of buildings do nothing to enhance the character of a district.
This is just Hightown. The visitor is confronted with rusty poles, unnecessary and confusing signs, puddles and broken surfaces and much else in the streets of our city. There is no doubt that Hereford badly needs some T.L.C. and an administration which appreciates its unique character. Hightown in particular needs an overall redesign by some agency with skill and experience in street design.
Over the next few weeks, we intend to show examples of these deficiencies of our city and would welcome comments and more examples of clutter and general squalor which disturb our readers.
Photographs and further details can be found here.
Clutter and squalor on our streets accumulate insidiously. We do not notice them at first, but gradually, they begin to annoy us, until finally we are outraged at the state of our towns and cities.
Much ratepayers money has been spent on Hereford city. 'Mixed' would be a charitable description of the results. Apart from the unnecessary kerbs, Widemarsh Street is vastly improved. The campaign against chewing gum is very welcome and largely successful. We now need prosecution of the owners of badly maintained vehicles, which drop engine oil on the new paving.
Hightown is a dog's dinner. Despite that, it is a comfortable and welcoming space. Its largely 18th century proportions and streetscape are unique and have hardly changed in the last 150 years. These are precious. “Wow !, this is lovely” has been a frequent comment by visitors from other cities on entering Hightown, at least until 2002.
Since 2002 we have seen the erection of twelve overpowering black posts with cameras and lights on the north side of this space. These are entirely out of keeping with the genteel 18th and 19th century frontages, which characterise Hightown. More recently two revolting rectangular boxes have been erected on the west end of Hightown. These declare that it is a pedestrian zone, something we have all known for years, and stand like two obnoxious totems, obstructing the visitor's views of the Old House and westwards of High Street.
We grumble if there are not enough litter bins, but is Hightown with eleven over-provided ? Provided the bins are not allowed to overflow, could we not manage with a smaller number? Besides, they can hardly be described as beautiful or tasteful.
Six public telephone boxes – two of the old red variety – are too many in this space, or indeed anywhere, considering how little they are used.
Benches and cycle racks are welcome, but their arrangement is not ideal.
As to shopfronts, A-boards, signage and general maintenance of buildings, there is still much improvement needed. Weeds growing two storeys up the frontage of buildings do nothing to enhance the character of a district.
This is just Hightown. The visitor is confronted with rusty poles, unnecessary and confusing signs, puddles and broken surfaces and much else in the streets of our city. There is no doubt that Hereford badly needs some T.L.C. and an administration which appreciates its unique character. Hightown in particular needs an overall redesign by some agency with skill and experience in street design.
Over the next few weeks, we intend to show examples of these deficiencies of our city and would welcome comments and more examples of clutter and general squalor which disturb our readers.
Photographs and further details can be found here.
