Shared space

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Shared space is a term used to describe an approach to the design, management and maintenance of public spaces which reduces the adverse effects of conventional traffic engineering. The shared space approach is based on the observation that individuals' behaviour in traffic is more positively affected by the built environment of the public space than it is by conventional traffic control devices (signals, signs, road markings, etc.) and regulations.[1] This approach is considered to have been pioneered by Hans Monderman.[2]

Shared Space is also the name of a European project (part of the Interreg IIIB-North Sea programme) which develops new policies and methods for the design of public spaces with streets. Hans Monderman was the head of the project's "expert team" prior to his death in 2008. [3]


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.[3]

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 behaviour, ...The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles." [4] 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."[5] In the same report 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 traffic to reach destinations quickly, and which is designed using traditional traffic engineering methodologies, is essential if the slow network is to function properly.[6]


A reason for the apparent paradox that reduced regulation leads to safer roads may be found by studying the risk compensation effect. Shared Space describe the effect:[6]

“

Shared Space is successful because the perception of risk may be a means or even a prerequisite for increasing objective safety. Because when a situation feels unsafe, people are more alert and there are fewer accidents.”

[edit] The practice

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

[edit] United Kingdom

New Road, Brighton - shared space scheme.
New Road, Brighton - shared space scheme.

In Brighton, the City Council has recently transformed the whole of New Road, adjacent to the Royal Pavilion, into a fully shared space, with no delineation of the carriageway except for subtle changes in materials. The route for vehicles along New Road is only suggested through the location of street furniture, such as public seating and street lights. The re-opening of the street has led to a 93% reduction in motor vehicle trips (12,000 fewer per day) and lower speeds (to around 10 MPH), alongside an increase in cyclist and pedestrian usage (93% and 162%, respectively). [7] [8]

In Seven Dials, London (photographs) 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.[9] 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%.[10]

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.[11] 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[12].

[edit] United States

Roundabout replacement for a signalized intersection in Columbus, North Carolina
Roundabout replacement for a signalized intersection in Columbus, North Carolina

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.[13]

[edit] Germany

Haslach (pictures) and Wolfach (pictures).

Bohmte introduced a shared space road system in September 2007. It is hoped that the scheme will improve road safety in the town.[14]

[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.[4] Drachten is one of the pioneer towns for such schemes. Casualty figures at one junction where traffic lights were removed have dropped from thirty-six in the four years prior to the introduction of the scheme to two in the two years following it.[9] Only three of the original fifteen sets of traffic lights remain. Tailbacks (traffic jams) are now almost unheard of at the town's main junction, which handles about 22,000 cars a day.[15]

[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.[16]

[edit] Australia

Bendigo, Victoria, plans (as of October 2007) to implement shared space in its city centre.[17]

[edit] National road traffic legislation variations

In answer to a direct question about the role of local legislation, a member of the Shared Space Expert Team replied:[18]

“ To understand how shared space works, it is important to move away from reliance on "rights" and laws, and to recognize the potential for conventions and protocols. ”

and added:

“ Such conventions and protocols evolve rapidly and are very effective if the state does not intervene through regulation. ”

Road rules, particularly those concerned with priorities at unsigned junctions, vary in different jurisdictions (see "road rule codes of the world" and "traffic"). For instance, many European countries operate on the basis of Priority to the right, this means that in the absence of road signs, cars entering from side roads on the nearside have priority over cars on the main route. This establishes an assumption that main road traffic must keep at a speed that will allow them to yield to entering traffic coming from the nearside. In contrast, in the US, UK and Ireland main road traffic is always assumed to retain priority. 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

The Shared Space project is 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.[3]

Ben Hamilton-Baillie is, as was Hans Monderman before his death, involved in the project as a shared space expert.

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, kerbs and barriers are removed.[19]

The November 2007 issue of the Fietsersbond (Dutch Cyclists Union) newsletter [20] criticises shared space schemes as encouraging the bullying of cyclists by motorists, giving examples of people who feel less safe as a result.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Ben Hamilton-Baillie. What is Shared Space. “The term Shared Space was coined in 2003.”
  2. ^ Damian Arnold. "UK traffic engineers lack skills for shared-space", New Civil Engineer, 2007-11-15. Retrieved on 2008-02-01. 
  3. ^ a b c Shared Space. Shared Space.org. “A European project with the purpose of developing new policies for the planning of public space.”
  4. ^ a b Matthias Schulz. "European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs", Spiegel Online, 2006-11-16. Retrieved on 2007-01-17. 
  5. ^ European Towns Remove Traffic Signs to Make Streets Safer. Deutsche Welle (2006-08-27). Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
  6. ^ a b Shared Space: Room for everyone: A new vision for public spaces. Shared Space (A European co-operation project) (June 2005).
  7. ^ New Road City Centre Shared Space, Brighton (December 2007). Scheme of the Month: January 2008. Cycling England (2007-12).
  8. ^ "New street designs are leaving blind people with the prospect of teaching their guide dogs new tricks.", NCE magazine, 2007-12-31. Retrieved on 2008-01-25. 
  9. ^ 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. 
  10. ^ Life on the open road. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited (2006-04-12).
  11. ^ Exhibition Road. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
  12. ^ Planning Application 05/00285/REM, Planning Layout (2005-02-18). Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
  13. ^ *McNichol, Tom (December 2004). "Roads Gone Wild". Wired (12.12). 
  14. ^ Catherine Bosley. "Town ditches traffic lights to cut accidents", Reuters, 2007-09-11. Retrieved on 2007-09-14. 
  15. ^ David Millward. "Is this the end of the road for traffic lights?", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-11-04. 
  16. ^ "No accidents after road conversion in Norrköpping", Shared Space, 2007. 
  17. ^ "Walkers first on naked streets", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-10-18. 
  18. ^ Ben Hamilton-Baillie (2007-03-02). Road priority conventions - reply. Forum. Shared Space. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  19. ^ The Associated Press. "In Europe, less is more when it comes to road signs", International Herald Tribune, 2006-11-21. 
  20. ^ Fietsersbond - uitgebreide fiets vraagbaak (ervaringen, tests, etc.)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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