(Commissioned, but not used – and worse not paid for – by The Los Angeles Times. So published here free of charge on the slightly-smaller-circulation Adams’ Blog)
There is a growing enthusiasm amongst European transport planners for “shared space”. It is an intriguing idea pioneered by Hans Monderman, a highway engineer in Friesland. He removed almost all the traffic lights, pedestrian barriers, stop signs and other road markings that had been assumed to be essential for the safe movement of traffic.
For traditional highway engineers his idea was anathema. Since the advent of the car they have planned on the assumption that car drivers are selfish, stupid, obedient automatons who had to be protected from their own stupidity, and that pedestrians and cyclists were vulnerable, stupid, obedient automatons who had to be protected from cars – and their own stupidity…
Full article here [PDF]