The main purpose of a gateway is to indicate visually to drivers that they are entering a special area, such as home-zone or mixed-use street. The gateway may consist of a pinch point of buildings or walls approaching the carriageway, or of a physical gateway either arching over the road or taking the form of a pair of substantial brick piers, close to the carriageway, public art and a change surface treatment.

Gateway features may be used on the approach to a development, but any structure within the highway would be subject to a licence and/or commuted sum for maintenance.

The footway may pass through the gateway or around it. In the case of a physical gateway, structures should be designed to withstand vehicle impact and should provide a minimum headroom of 4.2m. Arches over the highway need to be licensed, and physical gateways will not be maintained by the Highway Authority.

Gateways should also be distinct in appearance, so that pedestrians from all parts of the population – including the partially sighted, older people and people with dementia – can understand their purpose without confusion.