Street Smarts

How do you reduce the traffic fatality rate to zero in a city that sees 22,000 cars pass through its main intersection each day? Simple. You remove traffic signals and curbed sidewalks, road signs and most street markings.

"'It works well because it's dangerous,' said Hans Monderman, the Dutch traffic guru who pioneered the theory, which he likens to skaters navigating their way around one another on ice – when there are no lanes and no green lights, people take responsibility for their actions and become better decision-makers. Now other EU cities are trying it: Bohmte, Germany; Ipswich, England; Ostend, Belgium; Ejby, Denmark; and Makkinga, the Netherlands, where a sign at the town entrance reads Verkeersbordvrij (Free of traffic signs)."

Question: is there a principle of persuasion working here to encourage better driving by removing traffic signals and road signs? Of course there is. My vote goes to Consistency, because without the traffic signals, you are forced to take an active role in the safety of all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

From The Walrus, Canada's Magazine of the Year, read the entire Street Smarts series here.