“Shared space”: whereby road signs and segregation are minimised
The concept of shared space places importance on how drivers make decisions about their behavior. A shared space can be one in which motor traffic is not physically separated from people or cyclists, and there is an absence, or severe reduction of, traffic signals, signs, road markings, humps and barriers.
When no user has obvious priority, all users look out for each other. Shared space means drivers are forced to pay more attention to their surroundings by looking out for pedestrians and cyclists. It encourages drivers to make eye contact and interact with pedestrians, rather than assuming they have right of way and ignoring life going on around them. It may sound counter-intuitive, but trial schemes have reduced pedestrian casualties by nearly half. Thorough consultation with all user-groups is essential to ensure that schemes meet the needs of everybody.
Background
• Raised pavements have existed since before the Roman times, but only became common in towns and cities in the 19th century. As motor traffic and speed increased it became more common to separate pedestrians and motorcars;
• The use of traffic lights, guard railing and road signs have increased, all of which make drivers respond automatically without regard to the world around them. Pedestrians can be viewed as inconvenient barriers to smooth traffic flow, even in streets whose primary function is for shopping, or living in;
• Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman observed that traffic efficiency and safety of urban streets improved when redesigned to encourage people to negotiate their movements with others;
• Shared space is used widely in some parts of the Netherlands and Germany, and is becoming more common in the UK with schemes in Southampton, Brighton, Kensington and Ashford.
Benefits
• A pedestrian-friendly environment, with reduced traffic speeds and railing allowing freedom of movement;
• Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are compelled to engage with each other;
• Schemes have huge potential to reduce the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured on our roads. The redesign of Kensington High Street in London, which incorporated shared space concepts, resulted in the number of casualties being reduced by 47%;
• Reduction in traffic congestion: A proposed shared space plan for Exhibition Road in London is expected to reduce the amount of traffic by 30%.
Further Reading
* European shared space project site: http://www.shared-space.org/
* video demonstrating shared space in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLfasxqhBNU
* UK’s Manual for Streets town planning guidance: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/manforstreets/pdfmanforstreets.pdf
Rob Cann, Policy Coordinator, robert.cann@livingstreets.org.uk
Living Streets, http://www.livingstreets.org.uk
London, UK
Friday, May 29, 2009
Shared space - From Living Streets
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With reference to the point that when no user has obvious priority, all users look out for each other... I think, sadly, it's safe to say that the assumption, always, everywhere, is that motor vehicles DO have obvious priority. How is this communicated to them (and communicated in such a way that it is taken note of) that this is not the case?
ReplyDeleteA few thoughts on shared space innovations, speed in streets, street design and public space:
ReplyDeleteMost excitement about shared space (or “naked streets”) seems to focus on the counter-intuitive phenomenon of “safety through uncertainty”. It is certainly intriguing.
But I think another important lesson from shared space has been neglected. A key benefit of shared space is that it expands the urban public realm with little or no loss of transport utility. This point was emphasized by shared-space pioneer, Hans Monderman, but it seems to be often forgotten.
Furthermore, various other street innovations that create slow spaces can also offer us a public space dividend. These include multi-way boulevards (if well designed, as highlighted in 'The Boulevard Book') and various kinds of traffic calming, etc.
For more on this argument see http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/2009/06/slow-spaces-for-public-space-dividend.html.
Paul Barter
Singapore