Traffic Light Mania?
In Cobourg, new traffic lights seem to go up weekly and angry residents keep demanding 4-way stops on every intersection that does not have a traffic light yet. One residential street in the west end has 12 no parking signs.
Saw on City News that in the Dutch city of Drachten there are no stop lights, traffic signs or street markings and the divisions between where the road ends and the sidewalk starts are removed. Accident rates have gone down and traffic flows more smoothly.
The concept is called “Shared Space” and it was created by Dutch traffic specialist Hans Monderman. His idea: those who use the road are too busy looking at distracting signs, directions, instructions and prohibitions. His theory states that if drivers and pedestrians had to see and negotiate with each other to make the system work, it would create a safer environment overall.
Would laissez-faire traffic work in Cobourg?
September 16th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I can’t speak for the Dutch - they seem rational - but this idea would not work in Cobourg. The only rule would be that hitting someone else is bad so the aggressive people would win and everyone else would be at a standstill!
I saw the original article and thought it amusing more than anything - “what will they think of next?”
October 9th, 2007 at 11:44 am
At the risk of offending seniors, although I almost qualify myself, my biggest beef with Cobourg traffic is the painfully slow drivers who seem to make a point of getting into their big cars and getting out there early enough to obstruct people who are trying to get to work, on a schedule no less!
Many people seem to have trouble understanding the concept of a two lane road.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:51 am
-to follow my previous post which I sent prematurely, thus proving how close to being a senior I really am-
To those who can’t figure it out: PICK A LANE AND DRIVE IN IT, preferably at the actual speed limit and not 10 or 15 Ks less.
If driving at the actual speed limit scares you, consider staying off the roads during the typical rush hour periods when people are commuting to and from their jobs.
If even travelling in off hours scares you, perhaps it’s time to hang up the car keys and use transit or Community Care.
Just a thought which I will try to remember myself as my own vision and response times decrease with age. I already avoid driving at night!