In the second in our series on driving schemes, we look at roads where pedestrians have vehicles share the same space. Could it work in your town?
What's the big idea?
Shared Space is a concept pioneered by the Dutch traffic management expert Hans Monderman (now deceased). Monderman's idea was that the excess of visual stimuli that drivers have to contend with was hindering, not helping, safe driving. Without all the signage telling you what to do where, drivers have to read the road ahead and become more responsive.
Shared Space was first trialled in the Dutch village of Makkingen in 1998. A larger scheme was installed in the town of Drachten in 2003. Traffic lights and signage were removed. A major junction, which once had lights on each exit, and pedestrian crossings over each branch, was cleared of all its markings. And pavements were lowered to the same level as the road surface. Drivers entering the junction must negotiate with one another, and pedestrians, in order to clear the junction.
Surprisingly the scheme has been an almost unqualified success. Drachten now has a better traffic flow, and accidents have fallen from eight per year to a statistical zero.
The success of the Drachten scheme has led to similar developments elsewhere in the world, including Australia and Germany.
In Britain the first small-scale Shared Space scheme opened in Brighton in 2007. New Road is a popular entertainment destination lined with bars and theatres, opposite the city's historic Royal Pavilion.
Brighton and Hove City Council resurfaced the entire street (pavement and roadway) with block paving, so that pedestrians and vehicles were on the same level. Only a slight gradation of stone, and the position of street furniture, gives a visual clue as to where pavement ends and street begins.
The Brighton scheme has resulted in significantly lower volumes of motorised traffic (93 per cent down), travelling at lower speeds - an average 10 mph - and a corresponding rise in cycle traffic (a 93 per cent increase). Pedestrian traffic has increased by 162 per cent.
Similar schemes have also been introduced in central London (Kensington High Street and Seven Dials, Covent Garden) and a more comprehensive scheme is being built in Ravenswood near Ipswich.
Arguments for
Better traffic flow. The removal of traffic lights allows traffic to flow more freely. That means less pollution and shorter journey times. It also saves councils money on the maintenance of expensive traffic control systems.
Reduced accidents. When cars approach junctions, they do so at lower speeds. Drivers, disorientated by the lack of signage, have to concentrate more carefully on the roads. Better concentration equals better safety.
Aesthetics. City centres have become cluttered with ugly signs, red routes, yellow lines, pedestrian crossings and traffic light pillars. Shared Space removes most of these unnecessary visual distractions, allowing for pleasant landscaping. In Drachten, for instance, the roundabout has been replaced with decorative fountains.
Not nannying. Drivers are sick and tired of taxes, regulations and signs telling them what to do. Shared Space is an antidote to the nanny state approach to driving. It recognises drivers' intelligence and allows them, not the traffic lights, to make the decision of when to enter the junction.
Arguments against
Stealth pedestrianisation. Brighton cabbies will tell you that increased pedestrian use on New Road is nothing to do with the Shared Space concept. They argue that most private drivers don't realise that they can drive down the road, because it looks so much like a pedestrian zone. Certainly taxis and commercial vehicles greatly outnumber private cars.
Disabled pedestrians. Groups campaigning on behalf of the deaf, blind and other pedestrians with disabilities have criticised shared space schemes. Assistance dogs are trained to recognise raised kerbs and barriers. Pelican crossings are easily identifiable to blind people because of bumps in the paved surface. Removing these visual and tactile aids are a step backwards in provision for people with disabilities.
Idiots. Shared Space schemes rely on the intelligence and goodwill of the law-abiding majority. But there is no compensating for idiots. There is a small percentage of drivers who view the absence of signage as an invitation to drive as recklessly as they like.
Increased familiarity. Critics argue that Shared Space schemes only work because of their novelty. Drivers used to familiar signage are caught unawares and have to use their wits. But if Shared Space schemes became the norm, drivers would get used to them and pay less attention.
Related links
Smart idea? Have your say...
Is Shared Space common sense, or a recipe for disaster? Would you feel safe crossing the road in Drachten? As a driver, have you encountered Shared Space schemes? Share your thoughts with us below.
More motoring schemes and ideas
oh yes, forgot to add that the pedestrians in the town i live in are so stupid that they quite often jump out in front of a moving vehicle anyway
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Terrifies me. We have two of these streets in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland - not designated as shared space, but as supposedly closed to traffic during certain hours, but actually used by everyone as a shared space. No kerbs, no defining features. I have been hit by two cars, on seperate occasions. It is a nightmare. Many drivers do not look what is around them, many stop anywhere and everywhere, lorries struggle because of vehicles left anywhere, pedestrians struggle because of vehicles passing close to shop doors and lack of footpaths. In theory, it is a great idea. In practice, it's a nightmare.
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to #41 well said, i could not have expressed my concerns any better than you did.
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I don't know if this idea is better or worse.
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What a daft idea, pedestrians take the p*ss enough by jaywalking.
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in countries like india it is the case, thats the reason indian drivers make less accident than in other developed countries
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The granite blocks road cost a bomb to put in. The whole street was totally redesigned, it looked lovely especially when it rained. Unfortunately there were car spaces designated for some disabled vehicles and parking too for local business managers. Within days the lovely blocks were stained with oil and tyre tracks, then without warning what seemed to us pedestrians to be a great walking street turned out to be another road. We are all of us pedestrians, motorist and cyclists guilty of really bad road awareness so it is not a case of pedestrians vs all others on wheels. It is a battle on all our roads but those in cars do have a greater responsibility to take care when driving in towns. Pedestrians rarely knock other people over and kill them. They can of course be the cause of accidents. Those on wheels, including selfish cyclists, often kill people with their bad driving habits. Pedestrians, especially the new breed of young parents, simply step off a pavement at whim whilst glued to their mobiles, without looking left or right, using their new '4x4 off road buggies' like tanks. And to anyone under 35 we oldies and the disabled are simply invisible. We are regularly pushed aside off a pavement especially when we have the misfortune to encounter large groups of teeny tourists with their ineffectual clueless group leaders. Yes most road signs are ugly but that is a design thing not something to further en@#$%ber those on wheels. If those wheelie people were more aware and considerate drivers then we could all get around much happier. They cost the country millions with their illegal and inconsiderate parking on pavements, breaking curb stones and the pavements themselves. Not to mention their use of mobiles whilst driving.
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Shared space? Don't even think of it. It is definitely an open invitation for disaster worse than an epidemic as we seem to have more idiots driving on our roads. Try it in Nigeria and the population will be reduced to half by the end of the year. Life is precious.
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Will never work on British roads. There are several reasons :- 1. Too many ignorant and dangerous people behind the wheel, or handlebars , of vehicles. They drive as if they owned the damn road, and God help anyone or anything that gets in their way. 2. It would not be a case of "negotiation", it would be a case of "who dares wins" or who is "chicken". 3. How do you sort out who is to blame in a bump? if nobody knows where they are supposed to be. 4. Too many drivers, and riders, have no bloody road sense anyway. At least a red light means stop.
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Sad to see so many negative comments; you only have to check the Netherlands accident rates to see the benefits. As a frequent visitor and driver (and cyclist) to the Netherlands, the lack of signs and road markings means that you can get on with driving and look out for other road users rather than being distracted by all the signs. The Dutch method of denoting the built up area speed limit by having a town name at the begining or the limit and a town name with a line through it to denote the end of the limit is much better that the British sytem.
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