Kirkcaldy Car-Free Week Adult Competition Winner

The winner of our Kirkcaldy Car-Free Week Adult Competition would like to stay anonymous but has shared what they entered. You can view the winning entry below.

If my street were car-free….

 As part of our Kirkcaldy Car-Free Week, we ran a competition inviting people to submit suggestions for what they would like their street to look like if it were car-free. The winning entry for the adult category (below) was inspirational.

Current situation

The street is in the Sauchenbush area of Kirkcaldy and is currently a thoroughfare for cars. It’s on a hill and both buses and cars race up and down the hill, often ignoring the 20mph speed limit. The traffic is noisy, and the road is not safe for the many children and cats that live on the street. It would be a huge relief to local residents if the street were made car-free.

 What I would like the street to look like…

 Engaging with other local residents would be key when coming up with detailed designs for the use of the street. However, my suggestions are for dividing the street into three different areas, as detailed below.

Play area 

For the top of the street, I would encourage the children living on the street to participate in a competition, submitting their ideas for what this part of the road could be used for. They would be asked to make their dreams come true, possibly creating tree houses, a skate park, or dens: the world is their oyster. The ideas would be displayed and the children under supervision of the organisers would consider what ideas or combinations of ideas they like the most.

The main aspect is that it is safe for them, and is a low-cost project relying on reusing and reclaiming materials. The neighbourhood would source materials for the project from places such as Gumtree and Freecycle.  I also would encourage changing the road surface to something more child-friendly, such as grass or a soft play covering.

Meeting hub

For the cul-de-sac and park areas, I envision a park-type area where the neighbours could get together and come up with ideas.  They would reuse all kinds of things that they normally would have thrown away and plant bee-attracting flowers and plants, collect wood they have found by the sea, take netting they have found at the shore, use crails that have been abandoned, etc.

The seating areas again would be made from reclaimed wood or materials. They would collaboratively work towards creating a space they want. If it is agreed amongst the neighbours it would be fantastic if they agreed to reserve a few spaces in this area for a wee farmers or artists market every 2nd weekend.

Contemplation area

I would like to create a Japanese Garden at the bottom of the hill. The pictures I have chosen are from Cowden Garden. A Japanese-style bridge, a water feature with plants and the circles in a stone area. I would like to see that a collaboration taking place with Cowden Garden and our street organisers. The road would no longer be cemented.

Those are my ideas for a car-free street in the Sauchenbush area of Kirkcaldy.