Traffic in the Future
There are a number of schemes around the place which look to make streets a better place for all, the way forward seems to be to bring down barriers. Street, pavement, it's all one space. The idea being that people take more notice when you force them to take responsibility. I'm all for that, part of why I don't like cycle lanes. This in Poplar is one such. However, deep in the East London badlands, it loses effectiveness, and people don't seem to take a blind bit of notice.
posted by Ham at 00:02 --
Comments here: 4
Comments on "Traffic in the Future"
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Steve A said ... (04:06) :
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Gareth said ... (22:15) :
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Gareth said ... (22:18) :
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Steve A said ... (01:08) :
post a commentBritain is a leader in such efforts and is to be applauded for doing so. Instead of ever more signs; get rid of the lot and bring thinking back to road use.
It's a good soundbite, but there's an implication that the speaker doesn't think when driving using current road conditions (which I would hope isn't true in your case, Steve). As a driver and cyclist, I find these markers to be essential for instructing the user on how they should behave in a shared space. If you remove them, you have to second guess other people: a situation that frequently results in dealing with people who take advantage of the situation. I cycle from Waterloo station to work each day and regularly encounter other cyclists who openly antagonise drivers by swerving across lanes, causing driver to have to break suddenly, or mount the kerb and force pedestrians to move out of the way. Equally, you get situation when drivers (knowingly or unknowingly) force the cyclist off the road by encroaching into their space. Much of the discussion on this topic seems to presume that the driver (have you noticed the driver is always demonised? Bad drivers, how dare you own a vehicle!) has 360 degree vision all of the time, which is impossible. Rather than remove all guidance markings, I would prefer a system similar to that adopted in Copenhagen and other European countries, where the pedestrian, cycle, and vehicle spaces are separated and provided with specific guidelines. It requires greater effort with regards to 'space engineering' (if that's the correct phrase), reducing pavement and road space for cycle lanes, but provides the traveller with the most effective method of travelling from A to B, while minimising the risk to other users.
Anyone who types 'TL;DR' in response to the above will be shot ;-)
I guess I simply don't drive a whole lot. I DO observe that adding bumps and signs and such has never seemed to make my cycling experience better. OTOH, the situations cited at http://dfwptp.blogspot.com/2010/12/taking-streets-back.html (including UK examples) have had demonstrably better results. Or so goes the propaganda...