Shared Space

Shared space concept to lift lower Brougham St

2011-12-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

- Taranaki Daily News (NZ) A $1 million redevelopment of New Plymouth's dingy lower Brougham St will put cars and pedestrians on the same level. From March next year much of the street between Devon St and Ariki St will become a single level shared space for cars, pedestrians, cyclists and even skateboarders. The redevelopment is to be funded from the council's $3.71m model walking and cycling

Coventry: Shared Space Video

2011-11-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Blind man slams Coventry 'shared space' junctions

2011-11-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

By Tina JundayNov 23 2011 ...Coventry City Council has ditched traffic lights in eight busy junctions and put in 20mph speed limits to give drivers and pedestrians equal priority as part of a “shared space” scheme. Council leaders say the schemes will lead to road users paying more attention and make the city centre safer, more attractive and pedestrian-friendly. But Jim Smallman, aged 62, of

Exhibition Road Shared Space now open

2011-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

A farewell to pavements Is it a mad idea to turn roads and pavements into one great big shared space? London's grandest cultural artery will shortly find out By Justin McGuirk guardian.co.uk "...Roads and pavements are rules, keeping hard cars and soft pedestrians apart. Lane markings, pedestrian crossings and steel railings are another layer of rules. Do we really need such nannying? What if

Really Sharing The Road Means Vibrant Urban Spaces

2011-08-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

By ROBERT ORR The Hartford Courant

Naked Street man wants to strip High Street bare

2010-11-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Kilkenny Advertiser, October 22, 2010. By Naoise Coogan Kilkenny had a visit from the Naked Street Consultant this week. Ben Hamilton Baillie was in Kilkenny at the invitation of the Kilkenny City Centre Business Association (KCCBA) to assess Kilkenny’s streetscapes and traffic management system. Mr Hamilton Baillie is renowned

Birmingham Mail - News - Top Stories - Residents plead for road safety

2009-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

Birmingham Mail - News - Top Stories - Residents plead for road safety

Birmingham UK - Residents plead for road safety

2009-12-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

RESIDENTS of a Birmingham suburb today demanded urgent road safety improvements after five people were killed in two road death tragedies.The safety calls were made in Moseley after a pensioner and four boys died in two separate incidents last month.Teresa Queenan was in collision with a lorry as she crossed the junction of Alcester Road and Salisbury Road on November 9 while four boys died when

It IS happening here !

2009-11-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

Not quite the sign-free "Shared Space" - but it's a beginning:Bikes, cars share Oak StreetNew 'sharrows' signs on pavement give noticeBy John Darling, For the Ashland Daily Tidings, November 18, 2009"...Oak Street officially became the city's first "shared roadway" this week when crews laid thermoplastic signs on the pavement between Lithia Way and Nevada Street..."[more]

Traffic light failure reduces jams

2009-10-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

TRAFFIC light failure at one of Winchester’s busiest junctions produced a surprise result – fewer jams. [ Hampshire Chronicle 18th October 2009 ]The fault occurred early on Tuesday (October 13) where Southgate Street meets High Street.The bottleneck often forces drivers to queue for several hundred yards along Southgate Street and the city’s one-way system.Yet there were only a handful of

Verkeersbordvrij

2009-04-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs By Matthias Schulz for Der SpiegelA project implemented by the European Union is currently seeing seven cities and regions clear-cutting their forest of traffic signs. A project implemented by the European Union is currently seeing seven cities and regions clear-cutting their forest of traffic signs...The utopia has already become a reality in

Anarcho Traffic Management: is it the Future?

2009-04-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

by The Bristol Blogger 1/18/08[Monderman]...also claimed that congestion, traffic jams and the rush-hour would be alleviated if not completely eliminated by removing all these state traffic regulations. He further argued that if traffic is slowed down it will actually move quicker.At the heart of shared space lies the idea of integration. This contrasts with the traditional town planning

Pedestrian Safety in Sweden

2009-03-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

"...The main result was that crossing at intersections where there is zebra marking seems to result in higher risk for an individual pedestrian than crossing at other intersections. It was also shown that signalized intersections do not provide a safe crossing situation for pedestrians......The general explanation to these remarkable results was that pedestrians experience a false feeling of

Challenging assumptions, Ben Hamilton-Baillie

2009-03-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

Ben Hamilton-Baillie advocates replacing street clutter with social protocolAllan B Jacobs has been described as ‘the ultimate student of the street’ by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS). The author of Great Streets and The Boulevard Book was asked by PPS to summarize the key conclusions from his long career as both a researcher and practicing urban designer. His response was two-fold. Firstly,

Building Good Roads

2009-03-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

By Matthew Yglesias March 28. 2009 ThinkProgress.orgOne problem in our transportation policy is that funding is unduly weighted to spending money on roads rather than spending money on mass transit. Another problem in our transportation policy is that funding is unduly weighted to building new roads rather than to doing the necessary work to maintain the roads we already have in excellent

Students Give Up Wheels for Their Own Two Feet

2009-03-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Original by By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL March 26, 2009This story came via a note on the BTA blog :Today's New York Times reports on a simple step that has already reduced car travel by 100,000 miles in the town of Lecco, in northern Italy: kids walking to school.Just as Portland contemplates cutting the Safer Routes program that serves families and kids at 25 Portland schools, other communities around

Civic Trust Special Award - 2009

2009-03-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

New Road, Brighton ...By adopting the concept of a shared space the scheme has transformed a traditional, motorist dominated street scene incorporating rigid features such as kerbs and crossings into one where pedestrians are able to move freely over the whole area and have priority over other users. The inclusion within the design of attractive features such as bespoke seating and lighting has

Woonerven

2009-03-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

excerpt courtesy of Brand Avenue blog Woonerf is a Dutch word that translates roughly as "street for living," and refers to Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman's innovative and increasingly popular contribution to urban design: a streetscape stripped of lane markers, curbs, sidewalks, zebra crossings and other obvious boundaries denoting spaces meant for single forms of transportation. While

Where the sidewalk ends

2009-03-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

extract courtesy seedmagazine.comAt an intersection in Portland’s Chinatown, the asphalt street suddenly gives way to an urban oasis. A pair of massive, granite planters with palm trees flank the entrance to the street, which opens onto a one-block space paved with concrete squares. There are no white lane dividers or sidewalks. Instead, rough-hewn granite columns distinguish places for

'Sharrows' aim to help cars and bikes share roads

2009-03-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

...Caught between the need for a continuous bike lane and the demands of drivers, Portland transportation engineers finally came up with a solution. Next month, the city will fill the gaps in the network with new shared-lane pavement markings, called "sharrows." Stencils of a bicycle with two chevron markings above it will be painted, two per block, in areas too narrow for a bike lane. The idea

Main Street Dims Its Lights

2009-03-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ashland's award-winning investigative reporter Bob Plain who for many years sleuthed for the Daily Tidings "City Beat" has returned to his hometown of East Greenwich, RI and is now Managing Editor of a newly-launched online local newspaper My02818.com .A recent article shows that East Geenwich is, like Ashland, having ideas about street lighting, sustainability and safety issues.Main Street Dims

ICE VIP gets tour of town's shared space

2009-03-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

The President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Dr Jean Venables was given a tour of Ashford’s [UK] shared space scheme on Tuesday......Judith Armitt, managing director of Ashford’s Future, said: “Our shared space scheme has set the standard for transforming a major town centre road and several local authorities are looking to follow our lead. Following several high profile visits we

In Ashland, Cars Rule - OK?

2009-03-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

A local resident recently wrote to the Editor of Ashland's Daily Tidings newspaper:Pedestrians, save gas by not making traffic stop for youPedestrians! Don't make autos stop for you at crosswalks! Although autos are required by law to stop for pedestrians, we'd use less gasoline and create less pollution if pedestrians waited for traffic to clear before crossing, or walked half a block to the

Impromptu Shared Space Calms Soho Intersection

2009-03-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

by Ben Fried on March 5, 2009 courtesy of StreetsBlog.org...Reader Tim Koelle sends this report of a busted traffic signal gone terribly right at the intersection of West Broadway and Grand yesterday morning:I watched for an hour while cars, trucks and pedestrians shared this space quietly... with civility! Little honking, no aggressive driving, no traffic cop. Why? Because the light was out.No

New Inn Hall Street to get revamp

2009-03-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

A £625,000 scheme to create a shared space for all road users in an Oxford city centre street is about to get under way.The West End Partnership will start work on Monday to transform New Inn Hall Street, following the completion of the £2m facelift of neighbouring Bonn Square in December.The resurfacing project will last 20 weeks and is designed to encourage vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to

America before streets were civilised

2009-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

Some Reflections from 2017by Ben Hamilton-Baillie Hamilton-Baillie Associates Limited, Bristol, United KingdomContribution by the author to the world wide collaborative project “Messages for America: World-wide experience, ideas, counsel, proposals and good wishes for the incoming Obama transportation team”. See www.messages.newmobility.org for latest version of this report of the New Mobility

Bloomberg Puts Forward a Bold, Transformative New Vision for Broadway

2009-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

by Aaron Naparstek on February 26, 2009 StreetsBlog.orgNew York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan unveiled plans to pedestrianize a large swath of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan ......Extending from 59th Street at Columbus Circle to 23rd Street at Madison Square with substantial pedestrian-only areas at Times and Herald Squares, Mayor Bloomberg's plan for Broadway is, arguably,

Dim the Traffic Lights?

2009-02-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Saving energy by making useof eyes' sensibility to contrast By Professor Hugo D Godoy Azar(extract)"...I invite you to try an exercise of observation that clearly illustrates our idea:At night, proceed to a wide straight avenue, if possible 500-metres long, with traffic lights working at the end. You will see that despite the distance, you will be able to see clearly the lamps of the traffic

Smart Code

2009-02-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

The SmartCode is a model transect-based development code available for all scales of planning, from the region to the community to the block and building. The code is intended for local calibration to your town or neighborhood. As a form-based code, the SmartCode keeps towns compact and rural lands open, while reforming the destructive sprawl-producing patterns of separated use zoning.SmartCode

Road Trip

2009-02-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

by Jim Kunstler author of The Geography of Nowhere, The Long Emengency, World Made By Hand etc.(extract from his blog) ...The New Urbanists had not set out to build monuments to Yuppie-Boomer consumerism, but a peculiar destiny shoved them into that role for a while – even while they toiled elsewhere around the nation to reform town planning laws and generally provide an antidote to the fatal

Just step out, pedestrians are told. Drivers will stop

2009-02-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent , The TimesPedestrians are being encouraged to walk out in front of cars and traffic lights have been removed in a unique experiment on Britain’s roads.Drivers no longer have the right of way on the ring road in Ashford, Kent, and have to negotiate their way across junctions, with no signs or lines to guide them. All road users, whether travelling on foot, by

Cities try to improve crosswalk safety

2009-02-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

By Larry Copeland, USA TODAYCities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are ramping up efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.A pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to federal data. Crosswalks can be especially perilous for the

Bike vs. Car vs. Transit

2009-02-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

by Elizabeth Press on May 30, 2008see who wins the NYC commute at StreetFilms

A Road Diet for Ashland?

2009-02-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

see- Road Diet Handbook: Setting Trends by Livable Streets by Jennifer A. Rosales, P.E.Safety benefits:– Reduced vehicle speeds– Reduced conflict points– Improved sight distance- Improved pedestrian & bike safetyRead the Rosales handbook here or Dan Burden's 1999 paper on Road Diets hereInterviewed on JPR's Jefferson Exchange 10/10/08 , John Fregonese, former Ashland Planning Director stated:"...

Will new town embrace shared space too?

2009-02-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

...Two public meetings were held last week at Shadoxhurst Village Hall and Great Chart Primary School to give residents the chance to see how the Chilmington Green and Discovery Park area of Ashford will be developed...one of the proposals would be to roll out a similar shared space scheme as recently unveiled in Elwick Road. The scheme blurs the boundaries of roads and paths giving more power to

Helmets Safer..or Not?

2009-02-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Elle Macpherson's child bicycle bungleThis is how the UK's Daily Mirror described the incident:...Elle Macpherson is not exactly a model mum - as she cycles along with her son perched precariously on the handlebars.Elle, 44, seemed oblivious to the dangers as she laughed and chatted with [son] Aurelius Cy while weaving through busy West London streets... [more]The Guardian's Simon Jenkins however

Shared-Use Streets

2009-02-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

An Application of “Shared Space” to an American Small Townby Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman[excerpted from a paper presented to 3rd Urban Street Symposium,June 24-27, 2007 Seattle, Washington]Langley, Washington, a semi-rural town of 1,050 people, is expected to grow by 40 to 100 percent over the next 20 years. One of the town’s biggest assets is its pedestrian friendly character, which is

Intersection Repair

2009-02-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

by Clarence Eckerson, Jr. on May 31, 2007Ever dreamed of making the streets outside your abode more livable, pedestrian-friendly, and community-oriented?City Repair in Portland, Oregon hosts an annual Village Building Convergence where hundreds of people come together to build diverse projects for the benefit of their communites and to take back their streets via a process known as the

Removing Roads and Traffic Lights Speeds Urban Travel

2009-02-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

Urban travel is slow and inefficient, in part because drivers act in self-interested waysBy Linda Baker - Scientific American Jan 2009...The idea is that the absence of traffic regulation forces drivers to take more responsibility for their actions. “The more uncomfortable the driver feels, the more he is forced to make eye contact on the street with pedestrians, other drivers and to intuitively

Signal Failure

2009-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

By MICHAEL BRUNTON Time.comFor decades, traffic engineer Hans Monderman had a hair-raising way of showing off his handiwork to anyone who took the trouble to visit his native northern Dutch province of Friesland. He would walk backward, arms folded, into the flow of traffic, and without horn-honking or expletives, drivers would slow or stop to let him safely cross to the other side.

2009-02-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Streetless in SeattleAn innovative shared-space design is taking shape in the city’s developing South Lake Union neighborhood....The Terry Avenue North street-design guidelines, which cover a six-block stretch linking downtown to Lake Union, radically depart from the standard American approach to traffic design. Instead of segregating vehicles and pedestrians, the project aims to encourage people

2009-02-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

Try Shared Space in Ashland ?by Steve RyanI see two threads here and below, that are relevant to Ashland:First, it will take a critical mass of data supporting fewer accidents using shared space, to remove opposition to experimenting with shared space here in Ashland, but, there are enough case studies here on this blog alone, to make a compelling argument that we should at least try shared space

2009-02-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

Bendigo wins Australia Award for Urban DesignIn delivering on a commitment to enhanced pedestrian amenity, safety and convenience, the Bendigo has adapted a radical mindset shift from Europe to Australian conditions. Core retail streets in the city centre are being converted, applying the ‘shared space’ approach that essentially makes streets pedestrian spaces that vehicles can enter as

2009-02-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Swedish Shared Space scheme wins national ‘Beautiful Road Prize 2004’No accidents after road conversionNorrköpping is a medium size town of some 125,000 inhabitants just south of Stockholm.Skvallertorget (Gossip Square) is a square in the town centre that five roads lead to.Used by some 13,500 vehicles, many cyclists and at peak moments as many as 1700 pedestrians a day, it is a busy square......

2009-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Town's shared space a template for othersAshford’s innovative – yet controversial – shared space road scheme is proving something of a trendsetter, with a host of other local authorities now considering travelling down a similar route.The blurring of pedestrian and road space in the newly created Elwick Square was initially met with concerns over safety.It reduces the speed limit to 20mph and

2009-02-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

PAVED WITH GOLD: the real value of good street design This report presents new research that shows how good street design contributes both economic benefits and public value. It shows that investment in design quality brings quantifiable financial returns and that people value improvements to their streets. It is intended for local authorities, regional government, business, developers and

2009-02-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

Why don't we do it in the road?A new school of traffic design says we should get rid of stop signs and red lights and let cars, bikes and people mingle together. It sounds insane...............but it works. By Linda Baker - Salon.comIt's rush hour, and I am standing at the corner of Zhuhui and Renmin Road, a four-lane intersection in Suzhou, China. Ignoring the red light, a couple of taxis and a

2009-02-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

Jan Gehl"Only architecture that considers human scale and interaction is successful architecture.""First life, then spaces, then buildings – the other way around never works."

2009-02-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

Shared space - Wikipedia...A scheme implemented in London's Kensington High Street, dubbed naked streets in the press—reflecting the fact that the road has been cleared of markings, signage and pedestrian barriers, has yielded significant and sustained reductions in injuries to pedestrians. It is reported that, based on two years of 'before and after' monitoring, casualties fell from 71 in the

2009-02-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

Crown Square development top of Matlock's agendaMatlock Today - Derbyshire,UKMatlock Civic Association has studied how shared space schemes – which involve the removal of road markings – have worked in other towns. ... Study to unclog Winchester's arteriesHampshire Chronicle - Winchester,England,UKOne proposal already on the table is ‘shared space’ where street furniture is removed and

2009-02-04T07:57:00.001-08:00

The case against traffic lights Would our roads be safer and less congested if we were free of traffic lights and free to filter in turn? Newsnight asked campaigner Martin Cassini why he thinks they would. by Martin Cassini Watch the Video [link]

2009-02-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

Exhibition Road16 January 2009The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced today that he has asked Transport for London (TfL) to contribute an additional £10 million to the costs of the improvements being planned to Exhibition Road. .... This funding not only allows much-needed improvements to get underway, but also helps to support the exciting new approach being taken that will make the idea