Title: Imagine..A World Without Traffic Signs?
Post by: Christopher on November 21, 2006, 08:53:37 am
From "the car connection"......
Imagine..A World Without Traffic Signs?
European movement wants to clear-cut “forest” of signs, depend on kindness.
Can you imagine a world without traffic signs, or speed limit signs - or any kind of signs?
Germany's Der Spiegel reports that a number of small European towns are doing just that - eliminating traffic signs and instead relying on human interaction to keep traffic moving.
The newspaper reports that some European traffic planners in Denmark, England, and Belgium are experimenting with removing their traffic signs and letting drivers figure out the movement of traffic as they drive. One Dutch town, Makkinga, already has removed its signs - but put up one new one indicating that the town has no traffic signs. The town has no stop signs, no speed limit signs, no striped lanes, nor any parking meters.
"The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We're losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior," Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman, told the paper. "The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles."
Though the paper reports some 70 percent of all road signs are ignored, some experts are worried that the move will turn streets into an "Oriental-style bazaar" of mismatched speeds, erratic lane changes, and chaos.
More info here.....
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448747,00.html
Anyone any experience of driving in these towns with no signs? What are they like?
Imagine..A World Without Traffic Signs?
European movement wants to clear-cut “forest” of signs, depend on kindness.
Can you imagine a world without traffic signs, or speed limit signs - or any kind of signs?
Germany's Der Spiegel reports that a number of small European towns are doing just that - eliminating traffic signs and instead relying on human interaction to keep traffic moving.
The newspaper reports that some European traffic planners in Denmark, England, and Belgium are experimenting with removing their traffic signs and letting drivers figure out the movement of traffic as they drive. One Dutch town, Makkinga, already has removed its signs - but put up one new one indicating that the town has no traffic signs. The town has no stop signs, no speed limit signs, no striped lanes, nor any parking meters.
"The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We're losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior," Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman, told the paper. "The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles."
Though the paper reports some 70 percent of all road signs are ignored, some experts are worried that the move will turn streets into an "Oriental-style bazaar" of mismatched speeds, erratic lane changes, and chaos.
More info here.....
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448747,00.html
Anyone any experience of driving in these towns with no signs? What are they like?
