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| streets | |
| road safety | |
THE PHILOSOPHY Safety, congestion, economic vitality and community severance can be effectively tackled in streets and other public spaces if they are designed and managed to allow traffic to be fully integrated with other human activity, not separated from it. A major characteristic of a street designed to this philosophy is the absence of traditional road markings, signs, traffic signals and the distinction between "road" and " Pavement ". User behaviour becomes influenced and controlled by natural human interactions rather than by artificial regulation. A reason for the apparent paradox that reduced regulation leads to safer roads may be found by studying the Risk Compensation effect. THE PRACTICE Several towns and cities around the world have implemented schemes with elements based on the ''shared space'' principles. United Kingdom United States Germany ( pictures ). Netherlands Sweden NATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION VARIATIONS It should be noted that road rules, particularly those concerned with priorities at unsigned junctions, vary in different jurisdictions (see "" and " Traffic "). Also, in contrast to most English speaking countries, where a Fault Liability system operates to decide who pays compensation for losses due to road traffic collisions, some Northern European countries, including the Netherlands, use a Risk Liability system where a conflict occurs between a motor vehicle and a vulnerable road user. Thus there is a legal assumption in some of these countries that motorists are automatically considered liable, to some extent, regardless of fault, for injuries and property damage suffered by cyclists or pedestrians. PROPONENTS
THE EUROPEAN "SHARED SPACE" PROJECT This is a project sponsored by the European Commission to develop methods and policies for tackling road safety, community severance, and congestion issues and for enhancing economic vitality in streets and public spaces. Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-Baillie are involved in the project as ''shared space'' experts. Currently seven European partner Authorities , from five countries, are sharing knowledge on ''shared space'':
RESERVATIONS SEE ALSO
NOTES REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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