The Common Sense of Traffic Anarchy
by Sandy Ikeda
Fri, 28 Dec 2007 at 1:01 PM
Here's a follow-up to my earlier discussion on "unblocking the box." An article on the Washington Post Web site, "A Green Light for Common Sense," reports that "shared space" — a concept that originated in the Netherlands in which the solution to traffic congestion and related problems is less regulation and greater reliance on driver and pedestrian responsibility — seems to be catching on in the rest of Europe … even rule-bound Germany.
The citizens of Bohmte, Germany, found that the "usual remedies — from safety crossings to speed traps — did no good" in addressing their chronic traffic woes. Instead, they tried something different.
Since September, they've been tearing up the sidewalks, removing curbs and erasing street markers as part of a radical plan to abandon nearly all traffic regulations and force people to rely on common sense and courtesy instead.
This contrarian approach to traffic management, known as shared space, is gaining a foothold in Europe. Towns in the Netherlands, Denmark, Britain and Belgium have tossed out their traffic lights and stop signs in a bid to reclaim their streets for everyone….
The assumption is that drivers are accustomed to owning the road and rarely pay attention to speed limits or caution signs anyway. Removing traffic lights and erasing lane markers, the thinking goes, will cause drivers to get nervous and slow down.
(Hat tip once again to Mario Rizzo)
And if you thought "shared space" would only work in a northern European country, well think again. When I recall my experience in Rome, for instance, I realize that this idea has been in practice there for a while. Because the sidewalks in central Rome so are narrow or even non-existent, being a pedestrian often means sharing the street with speeding cars and motorcycles. Okay, it's scary for an out-of-towner and I don't know the statistics, but there are certainly fewer accidents than I might have expected, despite a couple of close calls. If it can work there, can New York be far behind?
When in search of innovative traffic solutions, do as the Romans have been doing.
*****
Incidentally, Rome might appear to pose a challenge to Jane Jacobs's principle that wide sidewalks are a prime locus of city life, assuming that Rome is still a living city, of course. But like any fundamental truth, her sidewalk principle is robust enough to adapt to different contexts. The basic idea is that public pathways need to welcome and accommodate informal contact and networking. Much of the spontaneous public vitality in Rome seems to take place in the myriad of narrow and walkable side streets, alleys, and piazzas — ersatz sidewalks.
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