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Video: Library footage
shows the Shared Space scheme in action

Young cyclists in Ashford are to get a
unique cycle training test.

For bike learners will be shown the
joys of the town's controversial shared space scheme, as part of a
specially-designed section.

Kent County Council agreed to add the
extra Bikeability module to the bicycle training, which will be
given to children across schools in the town.

The decision came after complaints
from disability groups, which say the shared space scheme is not
disabled-friendly.

Other recommendations include looking
into the possibility of installing a central refuge at the puffin
crossing outside Debenhams, complete with rotating cones underneath
to tell visually impaired people when it's safe to cross.

Officers are also to look into the
possibility of an advertising campaign about issues raised by the
shared space, such as safety and behaviour issues for pedestrians,
cyclists and motorists.

It’s not the first time Ashford’s
shared space scheme – the first of its kind in the UK - has courted
controversy.

Originally promoted by Hans Monderman
and first used in Holland, the concept has eliminated road
furniture such as kerbs and crossings in an effort to allow
pedestrians and cyclists the same rights of way.

The speed limit is set at 20 mph. The
theory is traffic is slowed down to create a safer environment.

Kent County Council and Ashford
Borough Council have spent £15 million on the scheme and employed
artists to make the streets look 'vibrant and attractive'.

A further £15,000 was spent producing
a DVD to inform people of how to use the system.