The scheme, which saw New Road improved and enhanced to give priority to pedestrians rather than vehicles, has won the Walking and the Public Realm category in the National Transport Awards.

This prestigious award was sponsored by the Department for Transport and the council faced tough competition from eight other local authorities. The entry focussed on what Brighton & Hove is doing to increase walking, using New Road as a case study.

This follows the news that the scheme has also triumphed in the Urban Transport Design Awards at the annual Transport Management Practitioners Conference.

Completed last year, the New Road ‘shared space’ scheme has transformed the area, in the heart of the cultural quarter, into one of the most popular pedestrian places in the city, winning praise from residents, businesses and visitors.

The area is now recognised as a world class example of how the needs of pedestrians and cyclists can be accommodated and is used as a best practice showpiece by English Partnerships.

Awards already won this year include the Highways Category of the Local Government News annual Street Design Competition.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, Cabinet member for Environment said: “It’s fantastic that we are celebrating yet another worthy win for this hugely successful scheme.

Since the scheme was completed, the transformation in the use of New Road has been remarkable. Traffic levels have dropped by 93% whilst cycling and pedestrian numbers have risen by 162% making New Road has become the fourth most popular space for people to spend time in the city – just behind the beach!

“New Road is a superb space, designed and engineered to the highest standard, is a wonderful addition to the city centre and a worthy winner of this prestigious award.”

Design practitioners including Hans Monderman have commended the success and New Road has quickly established itself as a benchmark case study for students and design teams from Plymouth to Vancouver.