6 ms·
The most interesting concept is that of shared spaces- it’s a bit counter intuitive, but if you put cars on the same level (figuratively and literally) as pedes
by albertgoeswoof 8y ago
The most interesting concept is that of shared spaces- it’s a bit counter intuitive, but if you put cars on the same level (figuratively and literally) as pedestrians, cyclists and other road users you can significantly reduce accident rates. You do this by removing curbs, signage, lane markings etc. This encourages road users to pay attention to the road ahead and slow down, and also makes the whole area a nicer place to be in.
The journey time may seem slower to car drivers, but given you eliminate most major accidents the average journey time is probably the same.
- icebraining 8y agoShared spaces are interesting, but I wonder how scalable they are. People can take special attention when using a specific road, but can they keep it during long stretches?
- Piskvorrr 8y agoDepends on what's a "long stretch" - I would prefer not routing long-distance traffic through residential streets, for this exact reason.
- sandworm101 8y agoExactly. And given the size of the country involved, i doubt there are many highspeed intersections. I dont think having pedestrians walking on a 90+kph road will ever be safe. That is a thing in canada and the US. Bicycles ride the shoulder and we have crosswalks across some highways. At highway speeds, clear separation is needed. Slowing everyone down will mean increasing journey times. Outside of cities, traffic rarely limits speed. Eliminating all accidents wont make calgary any closer to vancouver.
- Vinnl 8y agoIndeed. Most of the measures taken are meant to improve safety in cities - obviously you're not going to create a shared space on a highway. The Netherlands has highways, but they're cars-only. Luckily, I believe the accident rate on highways, especially involving cyclists or pedestrians, is already far lower than in cities.
- Vinnl 8y agoThose are really interesting indeed! It should be noted that concepts like those don't always work, see point 3 at [1]. If a road is still used as a through route by many cars, than cyclists and pedestrians will in effect still be forced out of the way. [1] https://rottenindenmark.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/lessons-from-london-cycle-campaigning/ https://rottenindenmark.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/lessons-fro...
- tonyedgecombe 8y agoPresumably there is a limit to this, after all at some point in the distant past we started adding curbs, signage etc in an attempt to improve road safety.
- ehnto 8y agoTo make way for faster cars. We have collectively conceded our streets to cars. Making shared spaces requires cars go very slow. In city centers and precincts it makes total sense. Cars shouldn't dominante the CBD traffic flow.
- tobylane 8y agoThe road between the Natural History, Science and Victoria&Albert museums in London removed all but light posts and drainage, then put back in ridges for blind people. https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5007375,-0.1744948,3a,75y,180.97h,80.41t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s7aR4L7rq01Md9JZOZSeHAw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D7aR4L7rq01Md9JZOZSeHAw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D0.25966358%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5007375,-0.1744948,3a,75y,18... https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4946304,-0.17328,3a,75y,352.66h,81.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5qW4e6ILQ4xwq7WjVzh-VQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4946304,-0.17328,3a,75y,352....
- lainga 8y agoWhat does removing curbs do for draining rain and snow melt?
- skj 8y agoI've seen curbs painted the same color as the road, with sloped edges. Annoying when you trip over them...
- privacypoller 8y agoyou can have effective curbing and drains without the strict, right-angle demarcation we often see now. retro-fitting all that infrastructure though would cost a fortune