Oh. Not so "new", this shared-space scheme: it's been going since 2012! At that point: "It [was] 20 years since towns and cities across Europe began redesigning their streets, moving from the traffic- circulating zones festooned with railings and traffic lights beloved of British town planners. Some 400 European towns have converted thoroughfares to spaces adapted for all to use, with redesigns that respect rather than abuse the buildings facing onto them."
In shared-space traffic "Walkers do not have to go via barriers and signalled crossings. Drivers do not have to wait, burning fuel at lights, with unoccupied road space ahead. Rather than drive at a stop-start rate of 12mph they can usually drive at a steady 15.
Everyone just gets on with it. In Germany, Denmark, Holland, France, where shared space is commonplace, traffic speeds have increased along with safety.
This is an intellectual as much as practical revolution. " |
| Sharing space outside the V&A, 2012 (via) |
I never heard of shared space and don't think I have encountered it (except in towns with no sidewalks). Does it really work? Maybe European drivers are more polite than US drivers, but I'm afraid I foresee a lot of mowing down of pedestrians. Do people get to park in the shared space? Is this a ploy to discourage people from driving in congested areas? Inquiring minds want to know...
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