What do we mean by bad design?

Sometimes we say that the problem isn’t just poor planning, but delivery or bad design being the culprit for a place failing our checklist. We often encounter things that are almost right and some things that are just plain wrong. Here are some examples.

Almost a modal filter, but the kerb limits cyclists passing through without obstacle.

New railway station with no footpath access to the nearby houses despite a right of way existing.

Hostile walking and cycling route with barriers that will block wheelchairs and cycles.

Sure you are still sorting out your bus stops, but can you at least locate one where there is a kerb?

Lovely cycle parking right up against the smelly bins. Are we hoping to encourage cycling?

A house designed around parking. Even the entrance is blocked by a car.

Another railway station, this time with an indirect and unlit path to the houses. This desire line shows how people have created their own path.

This pavement between houses and shops is blocked. They were clearly intended to meet up but a low fence is in place.

Many of these issues could have been identified and fixed when being installed. The one-and-done approach needs to be replaced with iterative design that identifies problems and fixes them.

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