Streetsblog.net

A traffic-calmed intersection in Drachten, the Netherlands. As you can see, there are some signs. (Photo: sociate via Flickr)

Although the scheme was conceived in 2000, I only found out recently that the Dutch town of Drachten removed nearly all its traffic signals and signs in an effort to promote road safety. While this seems counter-intuitive, the theory is that commuters concentrate far too much on traffic signs and lights instead of the immediate threat of the traffic surrounding them. I’ve often espoused a similar viewpoint without realizing that an actual place had already put the theory into practice — albeit a town of 45 000 people.

I’ve always found it somewhat amusing that a society can deem itself to be so advanced, but that its constituents are not trusted with the simple task of navigating asphalt pathways without a million signs to keep track of. For example, a particular individual is granted the right to vote to help determine an entire country’s direction, but they are treated as if they do not have the capacity to navigate a street devoid of instructive signs.

Regardless of whether one agrees with how much responsibility should be placed upon commuters’ shoulders, cyclists and motorists alike, Drachten’s plan of blank streets, or "shared space" as they call it, seems to have worked. While the town’s centre had a measly 8 accidents per year, the shared space scheme has effectively reduced that number to 0, according to a Dutch study. This is a huge drop by any measure.

Cyclists have also benefited, as it seems that the frequency of their stops is reduced, and they are often "ceded priority by drivers." The traffic in the town’s centre now flows relatively constantly; cyclists and motorists travel at about the same speed, seemingly improving the relationships between all commuters. According to the same Dutch study, not many cyclists in the Netherlands use hand signals, while in Drachten’s centre a significant amount use them. The study suggests that this could be the result of an increased feeling of vulnerability in cyclists, but it’s hard to argue that this kind of consistent behaviour would not help Montreal’s own cycling issues. In the spirit of fairness, the study acknowledges that its conclusions are not quite definite, and more research should be done. I, for one, am hopeful that the town of Drachten teaches the world a lesson in traffic management and pedestrian-cyclist-motorist relations.

To be clear, I’m not jumping on a bandwagon and arguing for Montreal to strip itself of all its traffic signs and signals, but simply providing some food for thought. Simply because a scheme has been so effective in a relatively small town, does not mean that a city like Montreal could handle such responsibility — but it’s an awfully nice thought, isn’t it? It certainly appeals to the idealist in me.

However, this all must be put into a Montreal context — a place where a school bus full of children swerved to avoid a cyclist, subsequently slamming into an apartment building. Click here for the Gazette’s covered of the accident.

My bike on an interesting dirt and gravel road, difficult to
navigate with touring tires. Probably should have been a day for the
mountain bike.