I just found this article from Dec 2004 Wired, about a less-is-less traffic engineer who “hates traffic signs”:
Highlights:
“A study of center-line removal in Wiltshire, conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory, a UK transportation consultancy, found that drivers with no center line to guide them drove more safely and had a 35 percent decrease in the number of accidents.”
Of course, I think immediately of minicabs in London barreling down one-lane, two-way streets with cars parked on both sides.
“In West Palm Beach, Florida, planners have redesigned several major streets, removing traffic signals and turn lanes, narrowing the roadbed, and bringing people and cars into much closer contact. The result: slower traffic, fewer accidents, shorter trip times.”
His test of a safe intersection? Walk backwards through the middle of it at rush hour.
From the article:
How to Build a Better Intersection: Chaos = Cooperation
- Remove signs: The architecture of the road - not signs and signals - dictates traffic flow.
- Install art: The height of the fountain indicates how congested the intersection is.
- Share the spotlight: Lights illuminate not only the roadbed, but also the pedestrian areas.
- Do it in the road: Cafés extend to the edge of the street, further emphasizing the idea of shared space.
- See eye to eye: Right-of-way is negotiated by human interaction, rather than commonly ignored signs.
- Eliminate curbs: Instead of a raised curb, sidewalks are denoted by texture and color.