Shared space

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Shared space is a traffic engineering philosophy pioneered by the Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman. The approach relies on the principle that road users' behaviour is more likely to be affected by the street environment and design than by the traditional deployment of measures such as speed bumps, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. Shared Space is also the name of a European project for developing new policies for, and new methods of, developing and planning public spaces based on the the shared space philosophy.[1]

Contents

[edit] The philosophy

Safety, congestion, economic vitality and community severance can be effectively tackled in streets and other public spaces if they are designed and managed to allow traffic to be fully integrated with other human activity, not separated from it. A major characteristic of a street designed to this philosophy is the absence of traditional road markings, signs, traffic signals and the distinction between "road" and "pavement". User behaviour becomes influenced and controlled by natural human interactions rather than by artificial regulation.[1]

One of the principles behind the scheme, which is mentioned in an article about the increasing interest in such schemes in Europe, from the German magazine Der Spiegel, is that road rules strip motorists of the ability to be considerate. Monderman is quoted as saying: "We're losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior, ...The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles." [2] Another source attributes the following to Monderman: "When you don't exactly know who has right of way, you tend to seek eye contact with other road users... You automatically reduce your speed, you have contact with other people and you take greater care."[3] In the same report the the mayor of Bohmte, a town implementing such a scheme, is quoted as saying "We don't want the cars alone to have precedence, we want to try and make the area pleasant for everybody.

The shared space philosophy distinguishes between the fine-meshed slow network, and the larger-meshed fast network. The slow network, which is the subject of the shared space treatment, is characterised as the street network which make public space vital and accessible. On the slow network motor traffic is welcomed as a guest, but has to adapt to certain social norms of behaviour. The layout of the road must make this clear. The fast or supra traffic network, which allows motor traffic to reach destinations quickly, and which is designed using traditional traffic engineering methodologies, is essential if the slow network is to function properly.[4]

A report for the UK's Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is reported by them to argue that traffic lights are dangerous and cause congestion. Traffic lights are said to be "a retrospective cure for a government-made problem". The report's author comments that lights require drivers to take their eyes off other road users and cause vehicles to speed up. They also make traffic stop at red lights even when no-one is using the green light and so cause needless delays. He also states that in cities where lights have been scrapped, accidents and congestion have all but disappeared. He argues that lights and other controls hamper rather than harness human nature causing harm and delay.[5]

A reason for the apparent paradox that reduced regulation leads to safer roads may be found by studying the risk compensation effect.

[edit] The practice

Several towns and cities around the world have implemented schemes with elements based on the shared space principles.

[edit] United Kingdom

In Seven Dials, London (pictures) the road surface has been re-laid to remove the distinction between the roadway and the footway and kerbs have been lowered to encourage people to wander across the street.[6] A scheme implemented in London's Kensington High Street, dubbed naked streets in the press—reflecting the fact that the road has been cleared of markings, signage and pedestrian barriers, has yielded significant and sustained reductions in injuries to pedestrians. It is reported that, based on two years of 'before and after' monitoring, casualties fell from 71 in the period before the street was remodelled to 40 afterwards - a drop of 43.7%.[7] Another proposed scheme in London is the redevelopment of Exhibition Road which is home to a number of world-class institutions. The local authority say they want the area to be a comfortable and attractive place in which to live, work and visit. They plan to use shared space principles to integrate vehicle and foot traffic, whilst preserving the road’s important function as a vital transport link serving people from the whole surrounding area.[8] There have also been trials in Ipswich, with shared space being a key feature of the design of the new Ravenswood community being built on the site of the former Ipswich Airport[9].

[edit] United States

In West Palm Beach, Florida planners are reported to have removed traffic signals and road markings and brought pedestrians into much closer contact with cars. The result has been slower traffic, fewer accidents, and shorter trip times.[10]

[edit] Germany

Haslach (pictures) and Wolfach (pictures).

[edit] Netherlands

There is a traffic sign at the entrance to Makkinga which reads "Verkeersbordvrij" meaning "free of traffic signs". The town has no road markings and no stop signs or direction signs visible in the streets. Parking meters and stopping restrictions are also absent.[2] Drachten is one of the pioneer towns for such schemes (pictures). Casualty figures at one junction where traffic lights were removed, have dropped from thirty-six in the four years prior to the indroduction of the scheme to two in the two years following it.[6] Only three of the original fifteen sets of traffic lights remain. Tailbacks are now almost unheard of at the town's main junction, which handles about 22,000 cars a day.[11]

[edit] Sweden

Since the zebra crossings and traffic signs were replaced with a spacious fountain, benches and other street furniture, Norrköping has experienced no accidents, mean traffic speeds have dropped from 21 to 16 km/h (13 to 10 mph) and liveability has increased.[12]

[edit] National road traffic legislation variations

It should be noted that road rules, particularly those concerned with priorities at unsigned junctions, vary in different jurisdictions (see "road rule codes of the world" and "traffic"). Also, in contrast to most English speaking countries, where a fault liability system operates to decide who pays compensation for losses due to road traffic collisions, some Northern European countries, including the Netherlands, use a risk liability system where a conflict occurs between a motor vehicle and a vulnerable road user. Thus there is a legal assumption in some of these countries that motorists are automatically considered liable, to some extent, regardless of fault, for injuries and property damage suffered by cyclists or pedestrians.

[edit] Proponents

[edit] The European "Shared Space" project

This is a project sponsored by the European Commission to develop methods and policies for tackling road safety, community severance, and congestion issues and for enhancing economic vitality in streets and public spaces.[1]

Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-Baillie are involved in the project as shared space experts.

Currently seven European partner authorities, from five countries, are sharing knowledge on shared space:

[edit] Reservations

There are certain reservations about the practicality of the shared space philosophy. In a report from the Associated Press it was commented that traditionalists in town planning departments say the schemes rob the motorists of vital information. They also noted that blind groups say the sightless will flounder if familiar features such as railings, curbs and barriers are removed.[13]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Shared Space. Shared Space.
  2. ^ a b Matthias Schulz. "European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs", Spiegel Online, 2006-11-16. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
  3. ^ European Towns Remove Traffic Signs to Make Streets Safer. Deutsche Welle (2006-08-27). Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
  4. ^ Shared Space: Room for everyone: A new vision for public spaces. Shared Space (A European co-operation project) (June 2005).
  5. ^ UK Institute of Economic Affairs (2006-12-20). Institute of Economic Affairs' article proposes the abolition of traffic lights. Press release.
  6. ^ a b Ben Webster. "'Naked' streets are safer, say Tories: Traffic lights and signs could vanish Accidents will fall, study claims", The Times, 2007-01-22.
  7. ^ KSIs cut as borough drops guards. Road Safety News. LARSOA (2006-03-27).
  8. ^ Exhibition Road. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
  9. ^ Planning Application 05/00285/REM, Planning Layout (2005-02-18). Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
  10. ^ *McNichol, Tom (December 2004). "Roads Gone Wild". Wired (12.12). Retrieved on 2006-04-26. 
  11. ^ David Millward. "Is this the end of the road for traffic lights?", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-11-04.
  12. ^ "No accidents after road conversion in Norrköpping", Shared Space, 2007.
  13. ^ The Associated Press. "In Europe, less is more when it comes to road signs", International Herald Tribune, 2006-11-21.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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