[sustran] Hans Monderman messages

[eric.britton]

Dear Terence, Ben and others.

In fact what we call shared space is probably the most common arrangement
taking in the world as a whole. Highly regulated traffic systems with strong
separation of modes and types of traffic is mostly found in developed
western countries, and other countries where western consultants and
engineers have left their mark.

How well shared space works depends on many things, but one factor that
strikes me as important is speed of vehicles, and the differences in speed
of different vehicles. For example where there is a big mix of cyclists and
slow-moving motor vehicles, it works well. Where motor vehicles predominate
and there are few pedestrians it is more difficult to get drivers to go
slowly, and then the system breaks down.

Another aspect is attitudes and behaviour of the population concerned. Hans
Monderman recognised the difference in behaviour of a local village resident
in a vehicle, and a driver from elsewhere (perhaps even from another
country) passing through and being unaware of local driving norms. In busy
streets in China one can spot the western foreigners because they try to
dodge the vehicles when crossing the road, whereas the norm is to walk
slowly but deliberately across the road, and let the drivers dodge you.

I have many other thoughts on this, but they will have to await my next book
(well, article anyway).

Terence, I would like to hear more about Vietnam when we next meet.

Best regards to all

Tim Pharoah


On 14/1/08 09:44, "Terence Bendixson" <t.bendixson at pobox.com> wrote:

Dear Ben
 
Thanks for your report. I have been in Vietnam and had missed the news.
Oddly enough I was thinking about Monderman and you when there. As I expect
you know, traffic in places like Hanoi flows almost without benefit of
traffic engineering and control - and  virtually never gets blocked. It is a
tribute to human interaction, decentralisation and the smallness of most of
the vehicles. It is not pretty but it works. Have you witnessed it?
 
Regards
 
Terence Bendixson
Secretary 
ITC