While in Germany recently I saw a short television news item about a shared space intersection. The crossing was without any signs and signals and both roads that intersected were designed to look identical. The idea is that noone entering the space is made to feel like they have the right-of-way.
The television reporter observed drivers slowing down at the crossing whenever anything else was visible. A tractor and car interacted civily, as did a car and bicycle. The reporter himself brazenly strolled into traffic a number of times to
illustrate the effectiveness of the concept.
I read a bit more about the idea on this Wikipedia post. The concept of “shared space” comes from a Dutch traffic engineer based on the premise that the look and feel of the road guides behavior more than signage, traffic lights, etc. The aim is to also integrate human activity a bit more closely with slow zones that connect vehicles more directly with the community. The feeling is that signage and signals give drivers permission to be discourteous.
I have to say that it’s an interesting concept. Particularly with reported improvements in slowing traffic by bringing pedestrians into closer proximity to cars. I like the idea of shared space for tighter city centers.
I’m not sure how well the shared crossing would work. It seemed effective in broad daylight at a rural stop with clear visibility all around. I doubt the safety in a more congested area, and it could be quite dangerous at night.
Images of streetscape before and after are of Haslach, Germany from this website.
