Anarchy in the Streets
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 11.19 am
It’s apparently working in Europe:
It started in the Dutch city of Drachten: Anarchy on the roads, no signs, no lights. Now they are trying in in the German town of Bohmte: no signs or lights, ripping up the sidewalks and asphalt and replacing it all with cobblestones. It’s called “shared space,” a concept developed by Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman.
Speigel notes: According to the concept, road users have to negotiate their behavior with each other, rather than have it prescribed by rules — the idea being that people will pay more attention to what other road users are doing and hence cause fewer accidents. They report that the Drachten experience worked; accidents there have declined dramatically since the new regime was introduced.
“The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We’re losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior,” says Monderman. “The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people’s sense of personal responsibility dwindles.”
P.S. If you’re among the people who have asked me to write more on why I favor minarchy over anarchy, I still haven’t forgotten! I promise you, that post (or posts) will appear here eventually. It’s just kind of a big topic, as you no doubt know.
China disagrees wholeheartedly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QESfEd180rQ
But…there are traffic signs in that video?
Ameer,
Your link to the China video does not show anything. It just shows a compilation of traffic accidents in China. It appears that several of the intersections are the same (which would suggest a problem with the roads and not the lack of signals). In order to determine the success/failure of anarchy, the traffic accidents/casualty statistics would have to be compared with the opposing system of lights/signals. Just showing a series of accidents in China proves nothing. Anarchy does not assume that all traffic accidents will disappear without signals but that they will be reduced compared to a system with signals. This was proven when tested in Europe and Germany as Bonnie’s article mentions. Not sure what the point of you link was.
Youtube these videos: “Part 1: Roads unfit for people” “Part 2: Roads FiT for people”
Not in most of the intersections, or the infinite amount of similar videos of “shared” roads out there.
Ameer,
As I mentioned, the intersection doesn’t really matter. Just showing a compilation of acciddents in CHina doesn’t really show anything. I could put a compilation of accidents with traffic lights on here, but would that prove anything?
I forgot to mention that I am not aware of any absence of traffic signals or cues in China’s road system. A quick wiki search in the “Rules of the Road of the People’s Republic of China” makes no mention of such a system existing. Same with a wiki of “shared space” road systems makes no mention of China. The search for shared space road system actually mentions such a system in West Palm Beach, FL reducing accidents, slowing traffic and decreasing trip time. All the studies I have read come to the same conclusion. If you can find one that doesn’t, please share it with me because the linked video does not provide any criticism.
A quick youtube search of shared space reveals these videos from around the globe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf-O5o4aqcs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wte5-_gCDQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tye8zJr7pZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuxMuMrXUJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThaQjDLLJWA
The only criticism I have heard is from the blind when shared space roads eliminate curbs. This is more of a road design issue than a issue with the elimination of signals.
Hey, sorry for the delay on approving everyone’s comments — I had no internet for the past few days O_o