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Title: Anarcho-Traffic (City abolishes all traffic signs, street markings, and driving rules)
Source:
National Motorists Association
URL Source: http://alerts.motorists.org/nma-email-newsletter-issue-32/
Published: Aug 18, 2009
Author: NMA
Post Date: 2015-02-24 05:24:13 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 1731
Comments: 11
Last week’s email newsletter touched on the much-discussed issue of distracted driving. The meteoric rise in cell phone use, particularly with texting, has brought renewed focus on inattentive driving. The Christian Science Monitor published an article in June 2008 which points to a more pervasive cause of distracted driving – the over-regulation of U.S. traffic through roadway signs. Per the article, British behavioral psychologist John Staddon believes traffic signs actually make streets more dangerous for motorists and pedestrians. He believes that traffic signs condition drivers to be less observant. Drivers trained to rely on instructional signs, rather than their own judgment, can create an “inattentional blindness.” Staddon noted that while highways in the U.S. are wider, better marked, and less crowded than England, the minor accidents he comes across every day or two in the U.S. are rare occurrences in the U.K. Per Staddon, “The American system of traffic control, with its many signs and stops, and with its specific rules tailored to every bend in the road, has had the unintended consequence of causing more accidents than it prevents. Paradoxically, almost every new sign put up in the U.S. probably makes drivers a little safer on the stretch of road it guards. But collectively, the forests of signs along American roadways, and the multitude of rules to look out for, are quite deadly.” This is more than just an anecdotal observation. A few years ago, all regulatory traffic signs were removed from the city center of Drachten, a Dutch city with a population of about 50,000. Demarcations between roads and sidewalks were also stripped. Despite the free-for-all design, the steady stream of vehicular traffic flowed smoothly, and pedestrians walked the streets safely. “Right of way” became an instinctual process between motorists. Their collective sense of responsibility and consideration created a safe environment. Der Speigel noted in 2006 that the number of accidents in Drachten “declined dramatically” after the open traffic design was implemented. Other European cities similarly minimized their traffic control systems with positive results. The goal of U.S. traffic management should be to rely more on the inherent responsibleness of drivers, and less on micromanaging every movement and behavior by its motorists.
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#3. To: Deckard (#0)
The rond-point at the Charles de Gaulle Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe) works. Huge volumes of traffic move. It most certainly is terrifying to drive it the first few hundred thousand times you have to do it, though. Basically, you have to look right and steer left. Everybody else does it, so it's a merry-go-round. Not for the faint of heart, but I've never seen an accident there, ever. I'm sure they happen, but I've been at the Etoile a lot and I've never seen one. God knows how that can be.
#7. To: Vicomte13 (#6)
(Edited)
I tackled it for the first time when I purchased a new Austin Healey in Paris and decided to take a driving tour of the city. It was nerve racking for me to say the least. I found Paris to be challenging for driving, but I found the worse driving conditions to be in Naples. Driving in Munich and Vienna was the easiest. All during my month-long visits to Europe in the Summer from 1961 through 1985.
Ever been on a "DOUBLE" roundabout before? They had some when I was in England and they keep you on your toes.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestThey replaced traffic lights with some traffic circles which again is fine for a small village.
But look how traffic circles work in a large city with congested traffic:
#6. To: Gatlin (#3)
Replies to Comment # 6. The rond-point at the Charles de Gaulle Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe) works.
#9. To: Vicomte13 (#6)
The rond-point at the Charles de Gaulle Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe) works. Huge volumes of traffic move.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 6.
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