Would our roads be safer with fewer rules, or would chaos reign and the death toll rise? That’s an interesting question being subjected to research in seven cities and regions of Europe, where authorities, encouraged by the European Union, are removing thousands of road signs, traffic lights and barrier lines in an attempt to get motorists to interact in a “free and human way” with each other and pedestrians.
Spiegel Online International reports that psychologists have long known that exaggerated regulation is pointless, and about 70% of road signs are ignored by motorists. The driver who is treated like a child feels resentful, and while he might stop at zebra crossings to allow pedestrians right of way because the law says he has to, he sees the lack of such markings as an excuse to block their way everywhere else.
The brains behind the project believe that the way to enlightened motoring is to give drivers more liberty and encourage them to take responsibility for themselves. In this utopian world, cars, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians would blend into a peaceful stream.
Makkinga (population 1Â 000) in The Netherlands has already implemented the system, with the only road sign being one at the entrance to the town, saying simply “Verkeersbordvrij [Free of traffic signs]”. Granite cobblestones have replaced tarmac, and there’s nary a hint of a barrier line or stop street.
Spiegel quotes Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman as saying that the current plethora of rules causes people to be stripped of the ability to be considerate, and leads to them to lose their capacity for socially responsible behaviour.
Things are likely to get interesting in the German town of Bohmte early next year, when EU funds will be used to refurbish the main road. Pavements and tarmac roadway will be replaced with cobblestones, getting rid of the division between cars and pedestrians. The United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium too are throwing their hats into the ring, with Ejby, Ipswich and Ostende all taking part in the experiment.
If things work out, the long-suffering Germans will possibly benefit the most. Their country has more than 600 official symbols adorning about 20-million traffic signs, removing from drivers any necessity actually to have to think about what they have to do next, or how to do it. Whether the populace will be able to adapt to the trauma of decision-making without advice from above remains to be seen.