The term “street furniture” covers all items within the highway such as road signs, street lights, bus stops, benches, planters and fences.
The county council will continue to maintain its street lighting on the roads it maintains and makes sure that key road signs are legible to ensure safety and replace damaged guard railing.
What is the task that local councils could carry out?
But to keep your area looking good, you may want to consider:
- Repairing wooden fingerposts (a post at a road junction from which signs project in the direction of the place or route indicated)
- Maintaining milestones (a stone set up beside a road to mark the distance in miles to a particular place)
- Cleaning signs – at the entrance to parishes, etc.
- Repairing fences
- Maintaining bus stops that aren’t maintained by a company (they will have branding on them if they area)
How could local councils go about it?
The community or contractors can carry out these tasks. Carry out a risk assessment – Example Risk Assessment for Activities Within the Highway. You can then use this method statement to carry out the work – How to manage street furniture
What are some of the things local councils should consider when considering or carrying out this task?
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- The safety of the person undertaking the activity and the safety of all passing road users
- The aesthetics of the signage
- Volunteers or contractors can carry out these tasks, but it is suggested that you contact us first to talk about:
- making sure you know who owns the street furniture and checking if it is ‘listed’
- you may need to apply When to Apply for a Highway Licence or Permit if installing new street furniture
What’s the first step?
- Check with your Community Highway Liaison Officer which organisation is responsible for maintenance of the finger post in question and also the land on which it is placed. Permission may be required to gain access to the land.
- Read the rest of the method statement – How to manage street furniture – for the next steps.
- Carry out a risk assessment – Example Risk Assessment for Activities Within the Highway
Who should I contact to get the ball rolling?
Contact your Community Highways Liaison Officer in the first instance