Anarchy given a chance in Europe

motivez · 11-19-2006, 11:27 PM

European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs

Are streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are giving it a try -- with good results.

Drachten in the Netherlands has gotten rid of 16 of its traffic light crossings and converted the other two to roundabouts.

Drachten in the Netherlands has gotten rid of 16 of its traffic light crossings and converted the other two to roundabouts.
"We reject every form of legislation," the Russian aristocrat and "father of anarchism" Mikhail Bakunin once thundered. The czar banished him to Siberia. But now it seems his ideas are being rediscovered.

European traffic planners are dreaming of streets free of rules and directives. They want drivers and pedestrians to interact in a free and humane way, as brethren -- by means of friendly gestures, nods of the head and eye contact, without the harassment of prohibitions, restrictions and warning signs.

A project implemented by the European Union is currently seeing seven cities and regions clear-cutting their forest of traffic signs. Ejby, in Denmark, is participating in the experiment, as are Ipswich in England and the Belgian town of Ostende.

The utopia has already become a reality in Makkinga, in the Dutch province of Western Frisia. A sign by the entrance to the small town (population 1,000) reads "Verkeersbordvrij" -- "free of traffic signs." Cars bumble unhurriedly over precision-trimmed granite cobblestones. Stop signs and direction signs are nowhere to be seen. There are neither parking meters nor stopping restrictions. There aren't even any lines painted on the streets.

"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 Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman, one of the project's co-founders. "The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles."

Monderman could be on to something. Germany has 648 valid traffic symbols. The inner cities are crowded with a colorful thicket of metal signs. Don't park over here, watch out for passing deer over there, make sure you don't skid. The forest of signs is growing ever denser. Some 20 million traffic signs have already been set up all over the country.

Psychologists have long revealed the senselessness of such exaggerated regulation. About 70 percent of traffic signs are ignored by drivers. What's more, the glut of prohibitions is tantamount to treating the driver like a child and it also foments resentment. He may stop in front of the crosswalk, but that only makes him feel justified in preventing pedestrians from crossing the street on every other occasion. Every traffic light baits him with the promise of making it over the crossing while the light is still yellow.

"Unsafe is safe"

The result is that drivers find themselves enclosed by a corset of prescriptions, so that they develop a kind of tunnel vision: They're constantly in search of their own advantage, and their good manners go out the window.

The new traffic model's advocates believe the only way out of this vicious circle is to give drivers more liberty and encourage them to take responsibility for themselves. They demand streets like those during the Middle Ages, when horse-drawn chariots, handcarts and people scurried about in a completely unregulated fashion. The new model's proponents envision today's drivers and pedestrians blending into a colorful and peaceful traffic stream.

It may sound like chaos, but it's only the lesson drawn from one of the insights of traffic psychology: Drivers will force the accelerator down ruthlessly only in situations where everything has been fully regulated. Where the situation is unclear, they're forced to drive more carefully and cautiously.

Indeed, "Unsafe is safe" was the motto of a conference where proponents of the new roadside philosophy met in Frankfurt in mid-October.

True, many of them aren't convinced of the new approach. "German drivers are used to rules," says Michael Schreckenberg of Duisburg University. If clear directives are abandoned, domestic rush-hour traffic will turn into an Oriental-style bazaar, he warns. He believes the new vision of drivers and pedestrians interacting in a cozy, relaxed way will work, at best, only for small towns.

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But one German borough is already daring to take the step into lawlessness. The town of Bohmte in Lower Saxony has 13,500 inhabitants. It's traversed by a country road and a main road. Cars approach speedily, delivery trucks stop to unload their cargo and pedestrians scurry by on elevated sidewalks.

The road will be re-furbished in early 2007, using EU funds. "The sidewalks are going to go, and the asphalt too. Everything will be covered in cobblestones," Klaus Goedejohann, the mayor, explains. "We're getting rid of the division between cars and pedestrians."

The plans derive inspiration and motivation from a large-scale experiment in the town of Drachten in the Netherlands, which has 45,000 inhabitants. There, cars have already been driving over red natural stone for years. Cyclists dutifully raise their arm when they want to make a turn, and drivers communicate by hand signs, nods and waving.

"More than half of our signs have already been scrapped," says traffic planner Koop Kerkstra. "Only two out of our original 18 traffic light crossings are left, and we've converted them to roundabouts." Now traffic is regulated by only two rules in Drachten: "Yield to the right" and "Get in someone's way and you'll be towed."

Strange as it may seem, the number of accidents has declined dramatically. Experts from Argentina and the United States have visited Drachten. Even London has expressed an interest in this new example of automobile anarchy. And the model is being tested in the British capital's Kensington neighborhood.

Controlled Chaos: European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

Wow, this is going to be an interesting experiment. I'm surprised that accidents have apparently actually gone down.

When you think about it though, the logic makes sense. People assume that because there are all these signs, everyone else is going to drive well. So, some idiot will drive like a maniac figuring he doesn't really have to worry about anyone else.

This forces people to take driving more seriously because of the deregulation.. it's interesting.

I don't know that I'd want it here without it being tested somewhere else first though.. We have one roundabout here and I don't know how many times I have to sit there and wait while some person tries to figure out what the hell to do

6SpeedTA95 · 11-19-2006, 11:32 PM

This outta be interesting

Donkey® · 11-20-2006, 02:37 AM

It would NEVER work here because Americans, in general, are assholes.

Thorgrim · 11-20-2006, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

It would NEVER work here because Americans, in general, are assholes.

I love america and my brothers and sisters here, but we are assholes, and every foreign visitor has very specifically pointed out all the asshole things we do

but to us, especially northern urbanites...you treat apathy as if it were a virtue

my grandparents blame america for letting the irish and italians come over...all drunks and gang members...they say

avsp · 11-20-2006, 08:28 AM

during the earlier 80's i lived a while in Sao Paulo in Brazil.

It was extremely common for suddenly en masse for people to stop paying any attention at all to the traffic lights, even at major round junctions, leading to massive jams.

I was told that this happened because of 'machissmo' where only 'pussies' allowed themselves to be told what to do by traffic lights. Once one person behaves like this then its an affront to anothers dignity not to do likewise.
--

Clakeson keeps babging on about speed cameras causing accidents & claims offical figures back him up, but he has a history of making totally baseless claims.

lew · 11-20-2006, 10:03 AM

lew · 11-20-2006, 10:04 AM

but but but anarchism wouldn't work in reality and people would be killing each other if there weren't laws to protect us.

Ardentfrost · 11-20-2006, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

I love america and my brothers and sisters here, but we are assholes, and every foreign visitor has very specifically pointed out all the asshole things we do

but to us, especially northern urbanites...you treat apathy as if it were a virtue

my grandparents blame america for letting the irish and italians come over...all drunks and gang members...they say

I worked in Maryland for 6 months about 6 years ago, and one night while I was up there one of the top stories on the news was about how mean drivers were to each other. The story said that people refuse to "zipper merge." I thought it was pretty funny.

It's one thing I like about the South... we may be weird as hell, but that southern hospitality thing is true (less true in the bigger cities, but it still holds for the most part)

Donkey® · 11-21-2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

I worked in Maryland for 6 months about 6 years ago, and one night while I was up there one of the top stories on the news was about how mean drivers were to each other. The story said that people refuse to "zipper merge." I thought it was pretty funny.

It's one thing I like about the South... we may be weird as hell, but that southern hospitality thing is true (less true in the bigger cities, but it still holds for the most part)

I have been in Atlanta rush hour traffic enough to know that you're lying your ass off right about now.

motivez · 11-21-2006, 03:40 PM

Yeah, I don't think Atlanta counts in that "southern hospitality" thing.. I've driven through there several times and been nearly run off the road by idiots driving 100+ mph each and every time.

First time through this jackass in a white pickup truck with one of those "How am I driving?" signs nearly sideswiped me merging into the lane in front of me.

Needless to say I called and left them a message answering the question.

AVengeance · 11-21-2006, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Yeah, I don't think Atlanta counts in that "southern hospitality" thing.. I've driven through there several times and been nearly run off the road by idiots driving 100+ mph each and every time.

First time through this jackass in a white pickup truck with one of those "How am I driving?" signs nearly sideswiped me merging into the lane in front of me.

Needless to say I called and left them a message answering the question.

He's right: Atlanta doesn't count. I went there on my way to Florida, with Jetski in tow. Next time, I'll take a different route- that was scary!

Ardentfrost · 11-21-2006, 04:21 PM

I said "less so in major cities." Although you STILL have a good bit of hospitality in Atltanta... Atlanta is WAY better than the Balitimore/Annapolis/DC area, but I've only been in ATL for 5 years now, so am well acquainted with southern hospitality outside of the big cities.

PS. Atlanta really isn't that bad. You guys just don't know how to drive

And to stay off the interstates during rush hours.