sounds a bit terrifying to me.. while Holland has success with many liberal and forward thinking policies, English people just don’t seem to have the common sense to let these things work
here’s hoping tho
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4151047.stm
Road users mingle in naked scheme
Traditional traffic controls would be stripped away
A west London road may be stripped of its kerb, traffic lights and signs in an attempt to encourage pedestrians and cars to mingle.
Exhibition Road in Kensington could be the showcase for the “naked road” experiment – pioneered in Holland.Organisers say the idea works as a form of psychological traffic calming which encourages drivers to be more considerate to pedestrians.
But an RAC spokesman said it may encourage drivers to be more reckless.
RAC Foundation executive director Edmund King said: “This is a form of psychological traffic calming which encourages drivers to slow down and think a lot more about pedestrians and other road users.
“We shall be following this trial very closely.
“In Holland, there have been places where a number of roads meet and no one has the automatic right of way. Although this might make drivers more careful, it could also encourage the aggressive motorist to behave more recklessly.
“We would certainly question whether this type of experiment should be implemented on a wider scale.”
Exhibition Road, home of the Science, Natural History and Victoria and Albert museum, could have a maximum speed limit of 20mph and drivers will not automatically have right of way over pedestrians who will be able to cross anywhere on the road.
LOL I bet this thread gets bare(!) hits from people who are gonna be a bit disappointed TBH when they see its about environment type stuff 😀
Seriously though I reckon it may work to an extent without too many casualties; but only because traffic in central london is fairly slow anyway, and the presence of witnesses,cops and CCTV that exist in London may deter drivers from knocking people down in cold blood….
Hmm – I go around on bike and seriously, I feel quite good when there’s a trafic light because it, well – defines my “traffic rights”, otherwise sooo neglected… I try to get eye contact with the conductor (my psychological weapon), that works, I get the attention and can claim my right, but do I really get his sincere respect and comprehension ? People get crazy in their cars, suddenly they’re in such a hurry…
I’m also aware of the “look in their eyes” advice – I reckon it gets you your bit of space but some of the drivers will still hate you..
every time I ride back home it is shocking how many times I see incidents where two drivers are basically taking risks with everyones lives to be first in or out at some road junction 🙁
As for traffic lights I think the ones which also let bikes through (sometimes by a different route) are good for rush hour, but the cycle routes here seem designed by someone on ketamine and lead you on long detours if you do not know the city well – it is clear that some councils see you as “second class”
incidentally do you cycle in both the UK and Europe? are the streets better laid out outside the UK? (many people claim this)
I think a significant part of the problem with roads / traffic / space for pedestrians and cyclists in the UK is the same as many of our other social ills… we are very very overpopulated. Not much you can do about that…
although I’d still love to see at least one city at least attempt the Montpellier FR model of simply banning all cars from the centre* and building a tramway
* with the exception of delivery vehicles at certain times of day
overpopulation, or just bad land distribution / development / street layout caused by nimbyism and complex social structures which concentrate all the people in certain areas and encourage people to drive for 2 hours to their jobs, whilst leaving other places nearly deserted?
The UK population density is only slightly larger than that of Germany, which seems (at least in places like Berlin) to find space for all forms of traffic
* with the exception of delivery vehicles at certain times of day
Reading would be an ideal candidate for this, using pretty much the same routes of the old tramway! It gets discussed every so often but the councils shelve it either due to lack of funds, or party political wrangling which leads to noone reaching a consensus…
Selfishly I think exeter would be an excellent place to start… ranking as one of the most poluted cities in the UK is one insentive to try
and having a tiny centre… so you wouldn’t have to walk far if you couldn’t manage much
I also think I am about the only person in the entire city that thinks likes this.
indeed it was interesting to read the message from the dutch party crew, which warned the cyclists as well to park in appropriate places and not cause a blockage! People sometimes ride to raves if they are local; and if I am in the building with a crew I know I will often find a safe area for people to park their bikes where thieves cannot get at them.
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